Honorary
degrees to be awarded
UNM
commencement set for May 17
A self-described
poet of the people and a researcher best known for
his work on the origin of the solar system will receive honorary
degrees at UNM's 2003 Spring Commencement ceremony, Saturday,
May 17, at 9 a.m. in the University Arena (The Pit).
New Mexico
poet Jimmy Santiago Baca will receive an Honorary Doctor of
Letters Degree and former UNM faculty member Dr. Klaus Keil
will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in recognition
of their respective accomplishments.
A projected
total of 2,718 degrees are to be conferred upon UNM main campus
graduates at the ceremony. Of the total, the projected breakdown
is as follows: 1,994 bachelors degrees; 428 masters
degrees, 74 doctorates; 85 juris doctorates; three post-masters
degrees; 67 medical doctorates; 63 pharmacy doctorates; and
four education specialists degrees.
JIMMY
SANTIAGO BACA
Born
in Santa Fe, NM, in 1952, Baca was illiterate at the age of
21 when he was incarcerated in a maximum-security facility for
selling drugs. Five years later, he emerged from prison with
a passion for reading and writing poetry.
Today,
he is widely-regarded as one of the nations top poets,
reaching out to people not only through his poetry and books,
but also through the writing workshops he conducts for children
and adults at schools, colleges, reservations, barrios, ghettos
and correctional facilities.
Among his
numerous prestigious awards and prizes are the Pushcart Prize,
the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, the International
Prize, the 1997 City of Albuquerque Humanitarian Award, the
1996-97 winner of the World Champion Poetry Bout in Taos, the
1995 Endowed Hulbert Chair of Colorado College, the 1993 Southwest
Book Award, the 1990 International Hispanic Heritage Award and
the 1986 National Endowments Arts Literary Fellowship.
Baca is
the author of A Place to Stand, a memoir and numerous
books of poetry, including Healing Earthquakes,
and Black Mesa Poetry.
His films,
scripts and productions include Bound by Honor (Blood
In, Blood Out), Disney Productions; and, The Lone
Wolf The Story of Pancho Gonzalez, HBO and Shoelace
Productions.
DR.
KLAUS KEIL
World-renowned
researcher in cosmochemistry, meteoritics and planetary sciences,
Keil is known for his work on the origin and early history of
the solar system, including asteroids, the moon and Mars.
He was
a principal investigator in NASAs Apollo and Viking Programs
and has served on numerous NASA and NSF committees.
Among other
honors, Keil has received the NASA Apollo Achievement Award,
the George P. Merrill Award of the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal,
the UNM Annual Research Lectureship, the UNM Regents Meritorious
Service Medal, the UNM Alumni Associations Zimmerman Award,
the Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society and others.
He was
a researcher at the University of California, La Jolla (1961-63)
and the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. (1963-1968).
He then came to the UNM as director of the Institute of Meteoritics
and professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
(1968-1990), where he also served as presidential professor
(1985-1990) and chair of the department (1986-1989).
He became head of the Planetary Geosciences Division and professor
in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii
at Manoa, Honolulu (1990-1993) and, since 1994, has served as
director of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
at that University.
Keil received
his master of science degree from Friedrich-Schiller University,
Jena (1958) and Ph.D. from Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz
(1961).
Numerous
department convocations are planned in conjunction with commencement.
The UNM Alumni Association will hold open house for graduating
seniors Monday, May 12, through Friday, May 16, from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. in Hodgin Hall. The group also cosponsors the annual
UNM presidents reception and picnic set for Saturday,
May 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at University House, 1901 Roma NE.
For more
information, visit www.unm.edu/~commence/.