27th Street Entrance Recommended for May 8 UNL Commencement

The ongoing major construction of the Antelope Valley Project will severely limit access from the west and south to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for University of Nebraska-Lincoln commencement exercises on May 8.

UNL officials urge those planning to attend the 9:30 a.m. ceremonies to use the 27th Street entrance to State Fair Park and park in the paved lots east of the Devaney Center. Handicap accessible shuttle buses will be available for easy access to the Devaney Center entrance. Handicap permit parking will be available on the north side of the Devaney Center. Parking lots west of the Devaney Center off 14th Street will not be available.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman will preside at the ceremonies, where the university will award degrees to approximately 2,275 individuals. Honorary doctor of science degrees will be awarded to the two commencement speakers, Nobel Prize winner Paul Berg and Maxine Singer, co-authors of a 2003 biography of Nebraska graduate and Nobel winner George W. Beadle, "George Beadle, an Uncommon Farmer: The Emergence of Genetics in the 20th Century."

In addition, Mark Gustafson of Mead will receive the Builders Award from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, and Art Mastera of Aurora, Colo., will receive the Nebraska Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award.

A joint commissioning ceremony for graduates of the UNL Reserve Officer Training Program will be conducted beginning at 1:30 p.m. May 8 in the ballroom of the Nebraska Union. Approximately 30 graduates will receive commissions as officers in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines.

The University of Nebraska College of Law will have a separate graduation ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. May 8 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St. Dean Steven Willborn will preside at the ceremony. U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will speak.

Recipients of doctoral degrees will be honored in a doctoral hooding ceremony beginning at 3:30 p.m. May 7 at Kimball Recital Hall. Approximately 61 doctoral candidates are expected to participate. They will receive their diplomas at the May 8 commencement exercises.

All ceremonies are free and open to the public, and tickets are not required. The May 8 commencement exercises will be Web-streamed live from the Devaney Center through a link at the UNL Web site.

Berg is Cahill professor emeritus of biochemistry and director emeritus of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine at Stanford University. His research led to the co-discovery of transfer-RNA and tRNA synthestases. He also is a leader in setting public policy in science and genetic engineering. He has received the Eli Lilly Basic Science Research Award, the Lasker Prize, the National Medal of Science and, in 1980, the Nobel Prize in chemistry. He is a member of the National Academy of Science. He holds degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Western Reserve University. His commencement address is titled "Mentoring: Beyond the Classroom."

Singer is president emerita of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and senior scientist emerita in the National Cancer Institute. A pioneering biochemist, she made significant contributions to the understanding of DNA and its complementary molecule, RNA. She has been a leader in developing the nation's science policy and in the ethics of DNA research. She received the National Medal of Science in 1992, the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award and is a member of the National Academy of Science. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Yale University. Her commencement address is untitled.

In addition to their biography of Beadle, Berg and Singer have co-authored a textbook, "Genes and Genome," and a lay text, "Dealing with Genes."

Gustafson has contributed to furthering the university since his undergraduate days at UNL, believing its success is key to excellence in Nebraska. Operator of a family farm near Mead, he volunteers in his community and serves nationally as a member of the Council for Agricultural Research and Extension, a national advocacy organization. Since 1991, he's been a member and served three terms as president of Agriculture Builders of Nebraska Inc., which supports UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He has served on the advisory councils for the UNL chancellor and the NU president and served on UNL's Future Nebraska Taskforce. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from UNL and a Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley. He and his wife, Dianne, have two children.

The Distinguished Service Award honors individuals with exemplary records of service to the Nebraska Alumni Association and the university. Mastera, a 1966 and 1972 Nebraska graduate, has been an active member of the Coloradans for Nebraska for more than 20 years. He has edited the CFN newsletter for many years and also produces the chapter's electronic newsletter. A former co-president of the group, he has helped with CFN activities such as Scarlet and Cream Singers concerts and home stays, TV watch parties, Valentino's pizza parties, Founder's Day events and summer picnics. Mastera also volunteers for the university's new student recruitment efforts in Colorado and has spoken at numerous Summer Send-offs and UNL Admissions Office-sponsored events. From 1989 to 1993, he lived in Connecticut, where he helped organize a still-thriving alumni chapter.

A drop-off area for graduates and mobility-restricted guests will be available on the south side of the Devaney Center on May 8. Sign-language interpreters for hearing-impaired individuals will be provided through the HuskerVision screens. Reserved seats for guests who are ambulatory restricted will be available next to the stage on the arena floor, as well as in Section B-11. Guests in wheelchairs will be seated on the northeast corner of the arena floor. Golf carts will be at the ramps on the exterior north and south sides of the Devaney Center to assist disabled guests entering and leaving the building.

Because of security concerns, parcels, handbags and camera bags will be subject to search.

CONTACT: Annette Wetzel, University Communications, (402) 472-8524