WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University began its annual spring rite Friday morning (May 12) with the first of nine commencement ceremonies that will take place throughout the weekend. All ceremonies are in Elliott Hall of Music on Purdues campus.

Purdues 2023 spring class had 9,776 candidates eligible for graduation. The list includes 7,398 undergraduates, 1,750 master's candidates, 390 doctoral candidates and 238 professional degree-seekers.

Mung Chiang, who in January became Purdues 13th president, is addressing graduates for the first time at this years spring ceremonies.

Kathleen Howell,Purdues Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will provide the keynote for the graduate student ceremony at 7 p.m. Sunday (May 14). Howell has received national and international acclaim for her work in orbit mechanics, spacecraft dynamics and trajectory optimization. She has contributed to the success of multiple NASA missions, including Genesis, Artemis and Cassini, and was recognized with the Morrill Award in 2019, Purdues highest faculty honor.

Commencement division dates and times are as follow:

The ceremonies are being livestreamed from thePurdue News YouTubechannel and linked on the Purduecommencement website before each ceremony begins.

Honorary doctorates

Thomas Shelby, executive vice president of Peter Kiewit and Sons Inc. and president of Kiewit Energy Group, will receive an honorary doctorate from Purdue Polytechnic Institute during the Division VI ceremony.

During Shelbys tenure as president and board member of Kiewit Energy, the company has expanded its engineering and energy business from less than $100 million in 1991 to over $6 billion today. He led initiatives to open Kiewit Energy offices in Canada and Mexico and form engineering hubs in North America, growing the companys engineering capabilities from 100 employees in 2000 to almost 3,000 employees. Kiewit is the third largest engineering and construction company in North America, designing and building $13 billion of work annually and employing more than 40,000 people.

Shelby is a member of the National Academy of Construction, an honorary group of engineering and construction industry leaders. He is a member of the Purdue Polytechnic Advisory Council and a past Purdue Distinguished Alumni. Shelby earned a bachelors degree in construction management from Purdue in 1981 and his Master of Science and MBA from Arizona State University in 1989.

Student responders at each ceremony

Each undergraduate division feature a student responder:

Top student awards

Purdues Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross awards are the universitys most prestigious honors for two outstanding seniors.

Lara B. Chuppe of South Bend, Indiana, is the winner of the 2023 G.A. Ross Award. Chuppe graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the College of Science. She has had several leadership roles in Global House, a learning community in the John Martinson Honors College and has been recognized with Pillar Awards for community and global engagement in 2021 and 2022. Chuppe has been involved in College Mentors for Kids, Global Science Partners, English Language Learners In-Home Program and several volunteer tutoring programs. Chuppe also completed a summer internship with Advocates for Human Rights, where she worked directly on U.S. immigration policies for Afghan evacuees.

Frances Ann Fu OLeary of Claremont, California, is the winner of the 2023 Flora Roberts Award. OLeary graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the College of Science. She has been a part of a U.S. Army-sponsored research group to build a self-correcting 3D printer and served as information technology lead on the Purdue Space Program High Altitude subteam. OLeary has held internships with SpaceX and Microsoft and served as an officer in several organizations, including the Purdue 3D Printing Club, Computer Science Womens Network and Purdue Space Program. OLeary has also served as a teaching assistant and has completed training to be a licensed pilot.

These awards are made possible through bequests from Flora Roberts, Purdue Class of 1887, and G.A. Ross, Purdue Class of 1916. Each recipient receives a $2,000 award and medallion and has their name permanently inscribed on the award marker on the Purdue Engineering Mall.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap athttps://stories.purdue.edu.

Writer/Media contact:Ellie Acra,eacra@purdue.edu

Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu

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Small steps to giant leaps: Celebration of 2023 Purdue graduates ... - Purdue University