Proudly Cincinnati: Class of 2011

The University of Cincinnati celebrates All-University Commencement during two ceremonies on Saturday, June 11, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., in Fifth Third Arena.

The Doctoral Hooding and Master’s Recognition Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, June 10, in Fifth Third Arena.

Melissa (Missy) Feltz of Coldwater, Ohio, who is graduating with honors with a bachelor of science in nursing, will deliver the university oration for the morning Commencement ceremony.

The university oration for the afternoon Commencement ceremony will be delivered by Rodrigo Gerardo of Brecksville, Ohio. Gerardo is earning a bachelor of science in biological sciences and a minor in chemistry from the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences.

Here’s a look at some of the graduates that make UC Proudly Cincinnati:

Program Produces Its First Graduates
This spring, the College of Engineering and Applied Science celebrates its first cohort of students who will receive a BS in engineering in combination with an MBA degree. These students enter the workforce with both the technical and business skills needed to succeed in engineering and business - a combination that sets them apart from their peers.

Earning a Degree Under Fire, Enemy Fire
At one time while he was completing his online master’s degree in the University of Cincinnati’s educational leadership program, Jimmy Hernandez says he was bound and determined to send in his UC assignment. Even though his unit was under a mortar attack in Iraq and he was under a desk for protection, he says he was on UC’s Blackboard portal for online learning – typing out the last of his report. His determination as a distance learner will bring him to Cincinnati for the first time when he celebrates the completion of his master’s degree at UC’s Doctoral Hooding and Master’s Recognition Ceremony.

An Officer and a Graduate
Kadair Gleen will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in a ceremony on June 10, after attending UC through the Army ROTC program. Gleen, 25, of Cleveland, Ohio, is a graduate of Glenville High School and served in Operation Enduring Freedom. He says his calling for military service came after seeing the horror of 9-11 when he was in high school. Gleen served in Operation Enduring Freedom from September 2006 through April 2007, primarily in the Horn of Africa, and was awarded the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Meritorious Mast, and the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. He is graduating with his bachelor’s degree in political science with a certificate in security studies. He will be assigned to the 1-145 Armor Regiment in Ohio.
Information on ROTC commissioning ceremonies

Dual Degree Graduate and Veteran Exemplifies Service
Jason Hodson was in the Marine Corps for a number of years before earning both his MBA and Master of Science in Information Systems (MS-IS) degree. This past year, he was on the winning MBA Case Competition team as well as head teaching assistant in the IS department. Before beginning the dual graduate business degree program, Hodson worked with AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity and will join MarketSphere as an IS consultant upon graduation.

Veteran and Spouse Share Graduation Date and Degree
Married couple Jacob and Megan Peck both began their associate's degrees at UC Clermont, transferring into the College of Business on UC's Uptown campus to complete their bachelor of business administration (BBA) degrees this June. Jacob, recognized as the College of Business outstanding non-traditional student for 2011, is a marketing major and veteran. Currently under deployment orders, he is completing his final courses as “independent studies,” so that he can still graduate on time. Jacob was also deployed between completion of his associate’s degree from Clermont and returning for his bachelor's degree. Megan is an employee of UC Clermont and previously earned her associate’s degree there, before continuing her bachelor's degree through the College of Business. Megan will participate in commencement while Jacob, now in Wisconsin, prepares for deployment.

Hooding Ceremony Feature: Direction from Dad
PhD graduate Stephanie Zacharias works with her father, a UC professor, to understand pediatric voice disorders.

UC Graduate’s March to Commencement Is a Long-Awaited Victory
It took eight years of struggle and perseverance to get to graduation in a personal battle that Alyson Dempsey says she fights each and every day. Yet, she’ll continue her higher education pathway after Commencement.

A Double March
Shali Zhu will represent the College of Business as student marshal during the morning Commencement ceremony, when she celebrates earning her bachelor’s of business administration in finance. In the afternoon, she’ll be marching with UC’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) as she achieves her bachelor’s in mathematics.

Triumph Through Challenges – Success Stories Out of the College of Engineering and Applied Science

Business Student-Athlete Pursues Her Passions Around the World
Business student Kseniya Slynko began her undergraduate work at Odessa National University in her home country of Ukraine, but her passion for international economics relations led her to the United States, where she joined the Department of Economics at the UC College of Business.

A Double Victory for a UC Senior: Overcoming Cancer and Getting to Commencement
Craig Buschle graduates this June after cancer twice forced him to drop out of college.

Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence Recipients
Four graduates are honored with the university’s most prestigious recognition of students earning undergraduate degrees.

C-Ring Award Recipient
Kimmins Southard is the recipient of the 2011 C-Ring Women's Leadership Award. Since 1922, the award has been presented to the outstanding senior woman as exemplified by academic excellence, community service, leadership and advocacy on behalf of women and girls.

Mr. Bearcat
The recipient of the 2011 Mr. Bearcat Award is certainly a familiar face on campus. But he says it was his UC experience that truly transformed him from the days when he entered UC as an alternative rock musician.

Commencement News

Commencement Information