For immediate release: April 23, 2011

BLOOMSBURG — A total of 1,122 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania seniors will receive bachelor's degrees in two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7, in the Academic Quadrangle.

Students from the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts will graduate at 10 a.m. and students from the College of Business and the College of Science and Technology will graduate at 3 p.m.

All guests are welcome to attend. In case of rain, commencement will be held in Nelson Field House and admission will be limited to ticket holders only.

Eduardo M. Ochoa, U.S. assistant secretary for postsecondary education, will speak at both ceremonies. Ochoa serves as the secretary's chief adviser on higher-education issues and administers more than 60 programs, totaling nearly $3 billion annually.

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) provides financial support to eligible higher education institutions, recruits and prepares disadvantaged students for successful completion of college, promotes the study of foreign languages and international affairs and supports international educational research and exchange activities.

Before joining the Department, Ochoa served for seven years as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University, where he oversaw campus-wide strategic planning and diversity efforts.

BU students who earned the highest grade point average in each college, known as top honor graduates, will be recognized during the commencement ceremonies.

The graduates, their hometowns and majors are:

• College of Education (four-way tie): Lauren Rae Kowalski, Gilbertsville, special and elementary education; Nicholas Scott Schmoyer, Furlong, elementary education/mathematics; Courtney R. Wandishin, Paxinos, early childhood and elementary education; and Michelle Faye Powis, Telford, special and elementary education.
• College of Liberal Arts (tie): Rachel Elizabeth Awan, Bloomsburg, anthropology; and Mylissa Mary Slane, Warminster, criminal justice.
• College of Business: Alan R. Bond, Fleetwood, finance.
• College of Science and Technology: Michele C. Brita, Bethlehem, speech pathology and audiology.

Eight doctor of audiology degrees and 147 master's degrees will be conferred during graduate commencement Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.