Over 4,000 students participated in UCSB’s official 2005 commencement ceremonies. As usual, the ceremonies were organized by college, level of degree, and field of study in order that each student could be recognized individually, and Chancellor Henry T. Yang shook the hand of each graduate. Geography undergraduates received their diplomas and undergraduate awards during a morning ceremony on June 11 on the Faculty Club Green.
The Geography Department has established two awards which honor students graduating with.
superior grade point averages. The first, Outstanding Achievement as a Geography Major, is awarded to students graduating with an overall grade point average of 3.5 or higher. The second, Distinction in the Major, is awarded to students who are graduating with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a major GPA of 3.6 or higher and have undertaken a major independent study project and/or graduate-level studies. We would like to honor the following students in those categories: Lisa Frances Basanese (Outstanding Achievement), Kristen Lynn Hislop (Outstanding Achievement), Kathryn Lee Jackson (Outstanding Achievement and Distinction in the Major), Steven Joshua Morrison (Outstanding Achievement), Sean P. O’Connor (Outstanding Achievement and Distinction in the Major) Warren Brendon Richards (Outstanding Achievement), Jonathon Brennan Schuhrke, (Outstanding Achievement), Jason Edward Smart, (Outstanding Achievement and Distinction in the Major), and Matthew John Wilson, (Outstanding Achievement).
We would also like to honor the following undergraduates who won special awards in the following categories:
Michael Glenn Murphy, who won the Nicholas Bourdakis Memorial Award. The Bourdakis Fund was established after the tragic death of Nicholas, who died in February 2001. He had just declared Geography his major. This fund helps to keep Nick’s memory alive by supporting future generations of outstanding undergraduate students in Geography at UCSB.
Sean P. O’Connor, who won the Jack and Laura Dangermond Undergraduate Fellowship. The Jack & Laura Dangermond Undergraduate award is a significant honor for the most accomplished student in geographic information science (GIS) in the department of Geography. Jack and Laura Dangermond are the co-founders and President and Executive Vice President respectively of the Environmental Science Research Institute (ESRI). ESRI is a major industrial supplier of software in the field of GIS.
Jason Edward Smart, who won the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Geography. The Chair’s Award is given to the graduating senior who has majored in Geography and has attained the highest overall grade point average.
After commencement, a reception for all Geography graduates and their parents and guests was held in the courtyard of Ellison Hall. Dean of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences Martin Moskovits and Associate Dean James Cooper were present, along with Geography faculty members Oliver Chadwick, Keith Clarke, Helen Couclelis, Dar Roberts, and Libe Washburn. Staff members Mo Lovegreen, Kathy Murray, and Bernadette Weinberg helped with the festivities, and Bernadette’s husband, Richard, took lots of pictures which can be seen here.
