Colonels Celebrate Spring Commencement

Wilkes University awarded more than 700 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at its 77th annual spring commencement on May 18. The ceremony for graduate students receiving master’s and doctoral degrees was held at 10 a.m. and the ceremony for undergraduate students receiving bachelor’s degrees was held at 3 p.m. in the McHale Athletic Center in the Ron and Rhea Simms Center on Main. Of the over 700 degrees, approximately 285 bachelor’s, 359 master’s and 95 doctoral degrees were conferred.

Ann Marie Bartuska ’75 delivered the commencement address at the morning ceremony and was awarded an honorary degree. After graduating from Wilkes College with a bachelor of science in biology, Bartuska went on to earn her master of science in botany and ecology from Ohio University and her doctorate in biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology from West Virginia University. Currently, Bartuska serves as a senior contributing scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund and as a senior advisor at Resources for the Future.

Bartuska was the first woman and first ecologist named director of forest management for the United States Forest Service. She also chaired the subcommittee on global change research at the White House Office of Science and Technology in 2016 and has recently served as a member of the Biden administration’s Wildfire Commission.

Daniel D. Magie of Ellsworth, Kansas, provided greetings as a member of the graduating class during the 10 a.m. ceremony. Magie earned a doctor of education degree in K-12 school leadership.

Paul Wender ’69 delivered the commencement address for the afternoon ceremony. Wender earned his bachelor of science degree from Wilkes College before going on to earn a doctorate in chemistry from Yale University and serve as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. Wender serves as the Francis W. Bergstrom Professor of Chemistry and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University. The Wender Group, housed at Stanford University, conducts research within chemistry, biology and medicine to address significant issues including HIV/AIDS, resistant cancer, cancer immunotherapy and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Wender has earned multiple research awards and teaching honors over his career. Recently, Wender was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Sir Derek Barton Gold Medal by the Royal Society of Chemistry for his groundbreaking developments which have led to significant positive impacts within the research field and on society.

Kara Beerley of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, provided greetings as a member of the graduating class at the 3 p.m. ceremony. Beerley earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. In addition, Beerley was awarded the Alumni Leadership Award for her strong contributions to student life.