Embry-Riddle Announces Commencement Speaker for Prescott Campus
NASA Astronaut Alvin Drew to Deliver Remarks
Prescott, AZ., April 25, 2012
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will hold commencement ceremonies in May at its Prescott campus. The graduating students will join Embry-Riddle’s 100,000+ alumni – a milestone achieved by the 86-year-old university in May 2011.
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. B. Alvin Drew Jr., a NASA astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumnus, will be the guest speaker at Embry-Riddle’s commencement ceremony for 263 students to be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 5, on the Athletic Field of the Prescott campus, 3700 Willow Creek Road. This graduating class, one of the largest on record for the campus, is composed of 236 Prescott campus students and 27 Daytona Beach and Worldwide students.
COMMENCEMENT DETAILS
Guest speaker Alvin Drew received a master’s degree in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle in 1995. He then began his career in the Air Force as a helicopter pilot followed by a rating in jet aircraft and later as a project test pilot, accruing more than 3,500 hours of flying experience while piloting 30 different types of aircraft. After joining NASA in 2000 for astronaut evaluation and training, Drew logged 612 hours in space as a crewmember on space shuttle missions STS-118 in 2007 and STS-133 in 2011. The STS-133 mission was a landmark event for Embry-Riddle, the first time two Embry-Riddle alumni astronauts – Al Drew and Nicole Stott – served together in space. In total, six Embry-Riddle graduates are current or former astronauts. Drew will receive Embry-Riddle’s Eagle of Aviation award during the commencement ceremony to honor his significant contributions to aviation/aerospace.
The following commencement-related activities will be held on Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus at 3700 Willow Creek Road. More information can be found at the Prescott graduation website at http://prescott.erau.edu/graduation/prescott-graduation-information.html.
Friday, May 4
Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
2 p.m., Davis Learning Center
Fourteen students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Air Force. Contact: (928) 777-3721.
Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
5 p.m., Davis Learning Center
Seventeen students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. Contact: (928) 777-3870.
Saturday, May 5
Prescott Campus Commencement Ceremony
10 a.m., Athletic Field
Students should arrive by 9 a.m. for lineup. Commencement will include a master’s hooding ceremony and a Marine Corps ROTC ceremony to commission three students as second lieutenants. A reception in the Eagle gym will follow commencement.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
