The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, or SFWS, held its 2017 Spring Graduation Ceremony and Reception on Saturday, May 6. Over two hundred family and friends of the 9 graduate students and 43 undergraduates joined faculty and staff in celebration of their academic achievements.
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Dean, Dr. Janaki Alavalapati, acted as master of ceremonies, providing the welcoming remarks before recognizing the school’s 2017 Spring Graduation Marshal, Wildlife Sciences Pre-vet student, Marisa Pierluisi.
Following Dr. Alavalapati’s remarks, Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Graeme Lockaby, acknowledged faculty, staff and parents and invited graduate and undergraduate students to the podium where they were asked to introduce themselves before receiving a commemorative SFWS lapel pin as a keepsake from the school.
Faculty in attendance were Drs. Christopher Anderson, Lori Eckhardt, Tom Gallagher, Jodie Kenney, Sanjiv Kumar, Susan Pan, Maria Soledad Peresin, Jim Shepard and Mark Smith. Representing the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences during the Spring Commencement were Drs. Lori Eckhardt and Ryan Nadel.
Following the ceremony, the students enjoyed a reception on the school’s patio with their families and friends. (Photos from the ceremony and reception are available for download via Flikr.)
Please join us in congratulating the following graduate and undergraduate students who received their degrees during the spring graduation commencement ceremonies:
Graduate Degrees Conferred:
MS, Natural Resources
Megan Bartholomew (Maj. Professor, Chris Anderson)
MS, Wildlife Sciences
John Draper (Maj. Professor, Todd Steury)
Todd Jacobsen (Maj. Professor, Stephen Ditchkoff)
Kevyn Wiskirchen (Maj. Professor, Stephen Ditchkoff)
MS, Forestry
Seval Celik (Maj. Professor, Latif Kalin)
Andrea Cole-Wahl (Maj. Professor, Lori Eckhardt)
John Lancaster (Maj. Professor, Tom Gallagher)
Cameron Poyner (Maj. Professor, Joseph Fan)
MNR, MS Natural Resources (Non-thesis)
James Clayton Glass (Maj. Professor, Edward Loewenstein)
Maisa Cook (Maj. Professor, Bob Gitzen)
Chase Seals (Maj. Professor, Edward Loewenstein)
PHD, Applied Economics (Forestry)
Ying Lin (Maj. Professor, Daowei Zhang)
PHD, Forestry
Shree Sharma Dangal (Maj. Professor, Hanqin Tian)
Hamed Majidzadeh (Maj. Professor, B.G. Lockaby)
Undergraduate Degrees Conferred:
Forestry
Noah Barcroft, Tyler Baxter, Forrest Bradley, Charles “David” Cauley, William Cook, Zachary “Shane” Dunning, Cody Hartzog, Jordan Heath, Thomas “Bryant” Jernigan, Dyer Jones, Truett Lawrence, Wilson Lowe, Kyle Malone, Lincoln McClearen, Grant Rutland, Christopher Turner, Nathan Williams, Stathon Wilson
Wildlife Sciences, Pre-Veterinarian
Sarah McWhorter, Marisa Pierluisi, Laura Raines, Chara Wood
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Travis Culbreth, Holly Peacock Davis, Matthew George, Amber Hall, Thomas “Bryant” Jernigan, Amy Johnson, Xena Smith, Rachael Vise, Chelsea Warner
Natural Resources Management
Max Birdsong, Cedric Ellis, Dallas Gentry, James Gnan, Dana Higgins, Ben Holcomb, Samuel Morris, Ethan Reece, Stinson Thompson, Tarah Vick, Amberly Ware, Rachel Womack
The ceremony and reception were hosted by the Office of Student Services’ Director, Dr. Jodie Kenney, and Coordinator of Student Recruitment and Events, Wendy Franklin.
