740 to receive degrees at UNL's Aug. 18 commencement exercises

Susan Sheridan, Willa Cather professor and professor of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will deliver the address during Aug. 18 commencement exercises. Charles A. Brim, a noted agronomist and a University of Nebraska alumnus, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman will preside at the ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, 1600 Court St. Approximately 740 students will receive degrees.

Sheridan is principal investigator for a number of federally funded research projects. Her scholarly interests are concerned with the relationships between parents and teachers, and in developing partnerships among teachers, parents and other care-givers that promote positive outcomes for children. Her commencement address is titled "Lessons from Preschool."

Since 2004, Sheridan has directed the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at UNL. She joined the faculty of what is now UNL's College of Education and Human Sciences in 1998 as a full professor. Sheridan is the author of seven books and more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Lightner Witmer Award from Division 16 of the American Psychological Association for exceptional early career accomplishments and the National Association of School Psychologists Presidential Award. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which awarded her its Outstanding Young Graduate Award in 1995, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Western Illinois University.

Brim's research revolutionized soybean breeding. He identified the first sources of genetic resistance to a devastating soybean nematode, a feat recognized as a technological breakthrough. He also developed original methods of soybean breeding that continue to influence plant geneticists more than 40 years later. He also developed strategies that increased the concentration of oil in soybeans, affording potential increase in biodiesel production. Other breakthroughs allow soybean oil to be processed in ways that do not form trans-fats.

Professor emeritus of crop science at North Carolina State University, Brim also worked as a scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska. He is a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America and has been honored by the American Soybean Association. A native of Spalding, Neb., he lives in Cary, N.C.

UNL doctoral candidates will be honored in a hooding ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 17 in Kimball Recital Hall, 12th and R streets (extended). Doctoral candidates will receive their diplomas at the Aug. 18 commencement exercises at the Devaney Center.

A drop-off area for graduates and mobility-restricted guests will be available on the south side of the Devaney Center on Aug. 18. Sign language interpreters for hearing impaired individuals will be provided on-screen by HuskerVision. Guests in wheelchairs will be seated on the northeast corner of the arena floor. Golf carts will be located at the ramps on the exterior north and south sides of the Devaney Center to assist disabled guests entering and leaving the building.

Admission is free to the hooding and commencement ceremonies, and tickets are not required.

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