Two
alumni will present the commencement addresses during Shippensburg University’s
Winter Commencement programs.
David
Christopher, superintendent of the Juniata Valley School District in
Alexandria, will present the address at the master’s degree ceremony at 7 p.m. Dec.
14 in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center. Dr. William E. Klunk, professor
of psychiatry and neurology and co-director of the Alzheimer Disease Research
Center at the University of Pittsburgh, will present the address during the
undergraduate degree ceremony at 11 a.m. Dec. 15 in Heiges Field House. Klunk
will also receive an honorary doctor of science degree from the university.
Approximately
130 students are expected to participate in the master’s program and about 400
in the undergraduate program. No tickets are needed for either program. In
case of inclement weather for either program, individuals may call Hotline, a
recorded messaging system, at 477-1200 or go to the university’s website at www.ship.edu for updates.
Guests
at the Dec. 14 program are asked to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. The program
will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and last about two hours.
Guests
at the undergraduate program may enter the field house arena beginning at 9
a.m. and are asked to be in their seats by 10:30 a.m. The academic procession
will form at 10:45 a.m. and start promptly at 11 a.m. The ceremony is expected
to take less than two hours.
Christo
pher,
superintendent at Juniata Valley since May, 2012, received his
master’s degree in educational leadership from Shippensburg in 2008 and
subsequently earned both his K-12 principal certificate and his
superintendent’s letter of eligibility from Shippensburg. In 2011, he received
the Outstanding Student Award from the university’s Department of Educational
Leadership and Special Education.
He
previously served in various academic posts including as an elementary
principal, high school principal and director of curriculum, and acting
superintendent. Since his arrival at Juniata Valley, the district has
flourished despite the difficult economic times and challenges faced by public
schools in Pennsylvania. In 2012, the high school was listed as a U.S. News and World Reports Bronze Award
winning school because of the performance of the students. He also serves on
the Board of Directors of the Huntingdon County United Way and is the chair of
its Strategic Planning Committee.
Klunk,
a 1978 graduate of Shippensburg, is internationally known for his
research into Alzheimer’s disease. He completed an MD/PhD degree at Washington
University in St. Louis focusing on neuropharmacology and medicinal chemistry. He
then completed a general psychiatry residency at Pitt, followed by a fellowship
in geriatric neuropsychopharmacology at Pitt. He also serves as vice-chair
of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the National Alzheimer’s
Association.
He
is a prolific author with more than 175 journal articles and book chapters and
is principal investigator of several National Institutes of Health and
Foundation grants and has received a MERIT Award from the National Institute on
Aging. He is a pioneer in the field of in vivo amyloid imaging for
Alzheimer’s disease. His work spans from basic synthetic chemistry and
neuropharmacological evaluation of amyloid imaging tracers to human PET studies
of these tracers. His group’s 2004 paper was cited by Nature Medicine as the most highly cited research paper on
Alzheimer’s disease published since 2004.
He
shared the 2004 MetLife Foundation Award, the 2008 Potamkin Prize and the 2009
Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute Awards for research in Alzheimer’s
disease with his colleague, Chet Mathis.
Information
about both programs is available at www.ship.edu/graduation. Anyone with questions about the
undergraduate commencement may call Dr. Peter M. Gigliotti, Commencement
Committee co-chair, at 477-12-21202 or send e-mail to sunews@ship.edu. Anyone
with questions about the graduate ceremony may send e-mail to Brian Johnson, at
bjjohnson@ship.edu.
12/3/12