HECB Executive Director To Address CWU Ellensburg Commencement

May 3, 2004

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Dr. James E. Sulton, Jr., executive director of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), will present the commencement address at Central Washington University's 113th graduation ceremony Saturday, June 12, in Ellensburg.

The title of Sulton's address is "Higher Education: A Race Against Catastrophe."

Sulton joined the HECB in February from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, where he served as executive director.

Prior to joining the New Jersey agency, Sulton served as the senior academic officer for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. He also has worked in the 26-campus University of Wisconsin system.

Sulton holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Howard University. He was an assistant professor at Howard University in the early 1980s and later served as a faculty member for the African studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

HECB is the agency responsible for student financial aid programs along with the planning, coordination, monitoring and policy analysis for the state's public higher education institutions.

More than 950 students are expected to participate in CWU graduation ceremonies, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Tomlinson Stadium. Gates will open for family and friends at 8:15 a.m. A crowd of more than 7,000 is expected.

The CWU commencement ceremony will also be televised live on KCWU, channel 2 on the Ellensburg cable television system.