New Beginnings: From Commencement to Construction
Preparation for the ceremony went as planned – caps, gowns and all and the never-ending construction on campus was not in the way.
The end of the semester not only means the end of final exams, but the end of a student career. Those who graduated last weekend have come to the finish line of this part of their lives, and the starting line of another. Preparation for the ceremony went as planned – caps, gowns and all and the never-ending construction on campus was not in the way.
There will be 95 students who were expected to receive a Master’s degree, as well as 404 students that were to receive Bachelor’s degrees this December; the College of Business had 94; Liberal Arts, 199; Professional Studies, 151, and Science and Technology, 60.
The ceremonies were held on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. The public was welcome to attend, and tickets were not needed. For students graduating from the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Technology, the ceremony began at 10 a.m., and those graduating from the College of Business and the College of Professional Studies started at 2:30 p.m. Both ceremonies were expected to last approximately an hour and a half.
Undergraduate commencement speakers were Dr. Laura Davis of the Finance and Legal Studies Department and Dr. P. James Moser, a recently retired member of the Physics Department.
Parking for the ceremonies was open on campus and in the Bloomsburg Hospital parking lots, and shuttles were available to transport guests to the Hass Center.
This semester has been a busy time for construction on campus, and though Haas Center has been closed for a while, it was still the locations for commencement last week. Although this semester is over, next year will bring the beginning of more remodeling on campus.
Next on the list of construction revamps will be Bakeless Center for the Humanities. During this time, TALE and Spectrum, who normally work from Bakeless, will be moved to McCormick, The Writing Center to the library and the Forensics lab to Navy Hall.
Nelson Field House and Old Hartline will then have work done in the summer of 2010. Some classes and departments including geosciences and physics will be moved to the new section of Hartline and the Wilson House, which is located behind Centennial Hall. The chemistry department will be moved to Schuylkill and biology to the Old Science Hall.
Nelson Field House will be receiving a revamped pool area, gym and locker room, as well as a renovated wrestling and locker room.
As students gear up to re-construct their lives after graduation, the campus itself is continually bettering itself as well. Seems fitting, doesn’t it?
