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Date: Saturday, December 15, 2008, 10:30am
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Location: Olson Auditorium, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
Download Commencement Program (1MB PDF)
Order of Events
Academic ProcessionalUniversity Wind Ensemble
Edwin C. Powell, Assistant Professor of Music, conducting
Invocation
Nancy J. Connor, University Pastor
GreetingsLoren J. Anderson, President
Bruce Bjerke ('72), Vice Chair of the Board of Regents
University Faculty Excellence Awards
Patricia O'Connell Killen, Provost
Reflection
Kari C. Williams, Bachelor of Arts, German & Political Science
Commencement Address Samuel E. Torvend, Associate Professor of Religion & Director of the Wild Hope Project
Musical SelectionFantasia in G Major, by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by Richard Franko Goldman & Robert Leist
Conferal of Master's Degrees
President Anderson
Assisted by Provost Killen
James L. Brock, Dean, School of Business
John Y. Lee, Dean, School of Education & Movement Studies
Conferal of Baccalaureate Degrees
President Anderson
Assisted by Provost Killen
Closing Comments
President Anderson
Prayer and Benediction
Dennis G. Sepper, University Pastor
Recessional
Mannin Veen, by Hayden Wood
Pacific Lutheran University Mace
For centuries, in academic and ecclesiastical processionals, a
mace has been carried by the marshal to symbolize the official opening
and closing of a formal event.
At the base of the walnut staff is a
silver pine cone, made from a casting of a cone found on the PLU
campus. Its head has a descending dove, representative of the
harmonious presence of the Holy Spirit within the learning community.
The cradle bears a plaque which will
carry the names of the current and subsequent presidents, as well as
the following inscription from Proverbs 4:7, "Wisdom is the principal
thing: therefore, get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get
understanding."
Designed and created by Tom Torrens, former PLU artist-in-residence.
The Mace was a gift from President-Emeritus and Mrs. William O. Rieke and family, presented at Commencement, 1976.
Pacific Lutheran University Seal The
Pacific Lutheran University Seal was adopted for use when the
institution became a university in September 1960. The PLU seal appears
on official university documents, including the diploma. The design
incorporates elements that symbolize the university’s heritage and
function. The elliptical shape symbolizes the close relationship
between the university and the church, which owns and encompasses the
school. The ellipse is an ancient Christian sign that indicates the
relationship between God and human. The name of the institution and the
date of its founding are appropriately placed along the border.
Central to the design is the ancient "Chi Rho," a sign designating
Jesus as the Christ and drawn from the cross of the Calvary. The "Chi
Rho" is planted in the book, which stands for both the Bible and for
the chief tool of the student. Such signs were in common use in the
early development of the Christian community. The lamp of learning is
traditional in the Western civilization that is our heritage and
symbolizes the human search for free knowledge and wisdom. The flame of
the lamp illuminates the book. The evergreen tree, perhaps the greatest
natural resource of the Pacific Northwest, ties the university to its
locale and is symbolic of the abundance of the natural surroundings, as
well as our dependence upon it.
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