Bill Gahan, Professor of English at Rockford University, arrived in Rockford in 2009 after earning a doctorate in English literature at the University of California. He is a native of Madrid, Spain, where he lived until his twenties. He has published on Shakespeare, philosophy, history, and early modern English writing and culture. He has also published articles on Spanish painting, Latin American and U.S. poets, and translations of Renaissance Spanish literature. He loves the comradery among various disciplines at Rockford University, and he wrote The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy (Routledge 2021) with other RU professors. He most recently translated a Spanish Golden Age play. At Rockford University, he won the Last Lecture Award and the Excellence in Teaching and Campus Leadership Award. He has written and performed over thirty Perspectives for WNIJ, our local NPR station. William enjoys good discussions, fly fishing, motorcycling, Spanish music, and spending time with his children.
The audience is requested to stand for the processional and the invocation.
Processional ............................................................................................ Lisa Miller Pianist
Invocation ............................................................................ Elaine M. Sharpe ’75 Emerita Professor of Psychology
Welcome................................................................................ Patricia Lynott, Ph.D. President
Greeting on Behalf of the Board of Trustees ............................... Marci Taets Chair, Board of Trustees
“What’s Your Perspective?” ........................................... William Gahan, Ph.D. Professor of English
“If Music be the Food of Love”............................................... Vocal Collective Lyrics by Henry Heveningham, Music by David Dickau
Acknowledgment of Candidates’ Achievements ..... Elizabeth Davies, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Singing of “Decus et Veritas” .......................................... Led by Timm Adams Associate Professor of Music
Please see the back of the program for the lyrics
Recessional .............................................................................................. Lisa Miller Pianist
You are invited to attend a reception honoring the degree candidates immediately following this ceremony in the lobby of the Clark Arts Center.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE CANDIDATES
Laisha Itzel Albino
Esperanza Guadalupe Alvarez
Francesca Arrigoni
Andrea F. Ayala
Zachary M. Bakken
Paige McKenna Bukoski
Jocelyn Ann Kathleen Callahan
Tyra Clark
Michelle Cortez
Kyle George William Cuniff
Nicholas Dangelo
Holly A. Delmonico
Justin Christopher Doll
Julius Konstantin Markus Eser
Vincent Eugene, Jr.
Tristin Felker
Jonathan Flores
Yoana K. Flores
Briana Guadalupe Flores Ceniceros
Noemi Garcia
Ja’Quez Gibson
Isaias Pardinan Giduquio III
Caleb Jordan Goodrich
Asuena M. Gutierrez
Reham Hakami
Lime Jao
Jesania Marie Laboy
Megan Larkin
Karissa Marie Littlejohn
Felicity Renae Lukaszyk
Lamyia Nichelle Maebane
Taj Kameron Marshall
Mary Elizabeth Martinez
Rachel McIntyre
Lee Meh
Estefanía Mendoza Sarmiento
Marcos Morales-Hernandez
Emily Elaine Null
Morgan Faith Olbrich
Vanessa Perez
Ah Re Poe
Emma Rae Primeaux
Jaelen Malik Ray
Garrett Owen Rees
Mariah Kathleen Rowe
Cassandra Marie Salazar
Grant M. Schutte
Taylor Ann Scott
Amy Clare Shanahan
Tahjanay Te’sha Shelton
Brandy Virginia Smith
Carina Sund
Kaeleigh Ann Kahipuanani Taylor
Kaitlyn Faith Tesdorff
Erica Lanna Thomas
Caitlyn Elizabeth Thompson
Darian Carter Vaiden
Nathan Lawrence Vana
Brynna Denea Voss
Faith Elizabeth Weber
Garrett R. White
Sandra Wilczynski
MASTER’S DEGREE CANDIDATES
Dalia Hassan Afify
Jackeline Aguilera
Caleb M. Babcock
Elizabeth Nicole Barber
Max William Beutel
Brandi DeShawn Brown
Kerstin Dawn Fries
Hunter Caitlin Rose Kahler
Collin Thomas Keeton
Meera Kumar
Douglas Edmond Mertzenich
Vaibhav Nareshkumar Patel
Alexis Rae Sample
Dmitry Steshenko
Zaccheus Demarkus Stubbs
ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
President
Patricia Lynott, Ph.D.
Chief of Staff
Jen Cunningham
Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Elizabeth Davies, Ph.D.
Vice President for Finance & Chief Financial Officer
John DiRaimondo
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Megan Frankfother
Special Assistant to the President, Sr. Director of Institutional Research & Analytics
Elizabeth Nardi
Associate Vice President of Business Innovations, Professor of Physics
Deepshikha Shukla, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Student Life
Randy Worden, D. Min.
EVENT CONTRIBUTORS
Director of University Events & Scheduling
Tara Vanden Branden
Chief of Staff
Jen Cunningham
Registrar Cory Espensen
Academic Affairs Support
Specialist, Assistant to the
Registrar
Sarah Spires
Registrar Support Specialist
Rachel Ortiz
Assistant Director of Student
Administrative Services
Jen Ocampo
Marketing & Communications
Sara Myers-Hogshead
Kayla Eddy
Program Cover Design
Tanner Elliott, Senior Advancement Officer
Chair of Performing Arts
Elizabeth Drog
Advancement Team
Fresh Ideas Food Services
IT Department
Team National
ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Chair
Marci Taets ‘92
Vice Chair
Greg Allen ‘98
Secretary
Jeffry Potter, ‘98
Treasurer
Aaron Potter, ‘09
Members
Keith Akre, Teresa Beach-Shelow, Charles Box, Chad Brigham ‘98, Lesly Couper, Elizabeth Donovan ‘20H, Rebecca Epperson, Anisha Grimmett, Elizabeth A. Hegel ‘81, Michael Iasparro, ‘98, James W. Keeling ‘18H, Joel Moore ‘00, Anthony Scandroli, ‘02, Elaine Sharpe, Kristin Smith, Patti Tumilowicz ‘87, Frank E. Walter
