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IU EAST TO RECOGNIZE ONE OF ITS FIRST GRADUATES
DURING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES FRIDAY
RICHMOND, Ind. -- Indiana University East will award 252 IU degrees and 20 Purdue University degrees during commencement ceremonies Friday (May 14) at 6 p.m. at the Tiernan Center at Richmond High School.
IU President Myles Brand and IU East Chancellor David Fulton will preside and address the graduates at the ceremony.
For the second year, IU East has sponsored a competition among the graduates to find a student speaker. This year's student speaker is Lisa Beach of Richmond, who will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in English.
Students were selected from both the IU and Purdue graduating classes based on their grade point averages to represent their respective classes during the alumni induction ceremonies. The IU East student representative is Jan Eva Jones of Richmond, who will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education. The Purdue student representative is Thomas Aldrich of Connersville, who has earned a bachelor of science degree in organizational leadership and supervision.
The 1999 Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Robert J. Cline. Cline was a member of the first IU East graduating class in 1972, when he was awarded an associate degree in criminal justice. In 1982, he was awarded a bachelor of general studies degree with a social science concentration.
Cline's career in criminal justice spans over 50 years, beginning in 1947 when he entered the IU Institute of Criminal Law Administration. Following 33 years with the Indiana State Police, he worked as director of investigations with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and served as security and safety director at Winona Memorial Hospital. Since 1992, he has served Hanover College as head of security.
He is one of only two troopers in the history of the Indiana State Police to serve in every rank from trooper to colonel.
"None of us will ever see in our lives another person with the loyalty, dedication and work ethic of Bob Cline," said David Palmer, vice president of student life at Hanover College.
Cline, a lifetime member of the IU Alumni Association, currently lives in Madison, Ind., with his wife Rita. His affiliation with IU spans generations. His daughter, Amanda Ferris, holds two IU degrees, and his granddaughter, Heather Lynn Dobbins, graduated from IU in 1998 and is currently enrolled in the MPA program at IUPUI.
Cline offered the following advice to young people: "Get involved at a college or university if you expect to arrive at a place in life where you can make a difference." Cline will receive his award and address the candidates for graduation at the ceremonies on Friday.
(Contact Suzanne Derengowski, 765-973-8444)