Commencement Ceremony for Degree Programs
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College of Continuing Education Commencement 2008 Saturday, May 3, 2008 10 a.m. Northrop Memorial Auditorium |
Please RSVP by April 21, 2008.
For assistance with disability accommodations for you or your guests, please contact Amy Brewster at 612-625-8062.
The College of Continuing Education is pleased to announce our Spring 2008 Commencement Keynote and Student Speaker:
Keynote Speaker
Seitu Jones is an environmental artist whose work in public spaces unites community and culture. Over his distinguished career, he has breathed art and life into many local indoor and outdoor public spaces, from bridges and utilitarian buildings to neighborhoods, libraries, and schools.
Seitu has created works for Sumner Library and the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, and for the Dayton's Bluff and Harriet Tubman community centers in St. Paul. He also designed a set of wrought iron gates for the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, an underground railroad site in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, he worked with the City of Minneapolis to create designs for bridges and overlooks in the new Heritage Park housing development.
His many awards include artist and leadership fellowships from the Bush Foundation, a Leadership Initiative in Neighborhoods (LIN) grant from the St. Paul Companies, a Loeb Fellowship from the Harvard School of Design to research cultural landscapes, and the prestigious Sally Ordway Irvine (SALLY) award from the Ordway Center.
A dedicated lifelong learner, Seitu is a Minnesota Master Gardener and a graduate of the University's Program for Individualized Learning and the Master of Liberal Studies program. He was also recently named an inaugural member of the College of Continuing Education’s "Life Force" for his contributions to our world and his inspiring and purpose-driven style of living and working.
Student Speaker:
Dustin Dresser is graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Construction Management and a minor in Spanish Studies. He comes to us from our neighboring state of Wisconsin. Born and raised in Verona and in the shadow of Madison, Dustin felt compelled to get outside of his comfort zone after graduating from high school. Upon arriving in Minneapolis he quickly realized he was never destined to stay in one place for very long.
He is known by the faculty, his academic adviser, and his classmates for his friendliness and uncommon dedication to his values. Since coming to the University, he has developed a passion for seeing the world and using his education to help serve others, which he has done on several occasions both in the U.S. and abroad. Throughout his four years at the University of Minnesota he has volunteered for a semester in Costa Rica, studied in Miami and participated in a mission trip to Guatemala.
During his time in the Twin Cities, he volunteered at the University YMCA and in order to further satisfy his urge to travel he became a trip leader coordinator for their alternative trip program called Y-Immersion. With this position he was able to help in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans and he was able to share his passion for environmentalism and Costa Rica with other students by leading his own trip to Costa Rica last January.
After completing an internship with Ryan Companies and currently working as an intern with Flatiron Constructors on the 35W bridge project, our soon to be Construction Management graduate is ready to embark on his professional career.
