University of Dubuque Announces First Winter Commencement Ceremony
Dec 14, 2015 | Kristi Lynch
The University of Dubuque will begin the tradition of celebrating a Winter Commencement Ceremony, beginning this year, on Thursday, December 17, 2015.
“I am excited to formally celebrate this occasion with our newest graduates,” commented Mark Ward, vice president for academic affairs. “Symbols matter, and this commencement service is an important symbol of these students’ academic achievements and of our continuing commitment to them as lifelong members of the UD community.”
The University will confer degrees on 49 undergraduate and 46 graduate students during the winter ceremony in its 164th year of celebrating the convocation for the conferring of degrees. The ceremony will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Heritage Center’s John and Alice Butler Hall on the University of Dubuque Campus. Phyllis Garfield, director of international studies, will deliver the Commencement Address, titled Where Do We Begin.
Garfield joined the University of Dubuque in 2000, serving as the director of international student services and study abroad. In the fifteen years that she has held that post, her focus ahs been on providing UD students with an international experience either by traveling and studying abroad, or by meeting and interacting with international students on the UD campus. Under her encouragement and leadership, faculty-led international trips have grown from two to twelve per year, and participation has grown from twelve to 200 students per year.
Garfield’s first foray into international education occurred when she was warded a Fulbright Grant to study for a year in Germany at Philipps-Universität, Marburg. She earned her undergraduate degree in history from Midland University (Fremont, Nebraska), and she completed graduate work at Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) and the University of Dubuque, where she was awarded the master of arts in communication degree.
