Commencement 2000 blasts off this week

Graduation caps will paint The Beach's blue sky as commencement ceremonies take flight this week.

Each ceremony will begin with the Cal State Long Beach Brass Choir, directed by Keith Snell, playing "Pomp and Circumstance" and a medley of traditional brass tunes during the procession of the graduates.

Speeches by CSULB President Robert Maxson and various deans are scheduled to follow the processional.

Singer Richard Carpenter and Generation Trust Bank head James H. Gray will receive honorary doctorates, said Sharon Olson, commencement coordinator.

Each student's name will be read aloud during the ceremony and each graduate student, clad in gold tassels, will be hooded when his or her name is read, Olson said.

"We are expecting 50,000 total guests over the three days," Olson said.

Each ceremony will be two hours long, from the start of the processional music to the walk out, Olson said.

"Some colleges have chosen not to have a speaker because of the time element," Olson said.

A reception will be held after each ceremony on the terrace level of the University Student Union. Hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and punch will be served. 

The CSULB Steel Drum Group, directed by faculty Michael Carney, will be playing during the reception.

Here is the rundown of each graduation ceremony:

Today

• 9 a.m. -- College of Health and Human Services, Ceremony 1

During the ceremony, Betsy G. Wells will be handed a Distinguished Alumna Award. Wells, who received a master's degree in communicative disorders in 1986, is a speech and language pathologist for the Norwalk/La Mirada Unified School District. Expected number of graduates: 560.

• 1 p.m. -- College of Business Administration

James H. Gray, president and CEO of Generation Trust Bank, will receive an honorary doctorate at the business college's commencement ceremony. Gray, who earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1958, will receive a doctorate of laws. The ceremony expects 900 graduates.

• 5 p.m. -- College of Health and Human Services, Ceremony 2

H. Brent Coles, who received a master's degree in public policy and administration in 1979, will be presented with a Distinguished Alumnus Award. Coles is the mayor of Boise, Idaho. About 600 graduates are expected.

• 9 a.m. -- College of Liberal Arts, Ceremony 1

Audrey Nichol Hauth will be given a Distinguished Alumna Award. Hauth graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in English literature. She is one of only two women who have completed all 15 Long Beach Marathons and is an English/writing/resume consultant. Around 500 graduates are expected to attend.
 
• 1 p.m. -- College of Liberal Arts, Ceremony 2

Distinguished alumnus Daniel B. Rodriguez, a 1984 graduate of political science, will be presented with an award from the Alumni Association. He is the dean and professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law. This ceremony expects 750 graduates.
 
• 5 p.m. -- College of Engineering

Diane C. Creel, president and CEO of Earth Tech, a Long Beach-based engineering firm, will be the speaker. Creel was awarded the Long Beach Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1999. About 350 graduates are expected.

• 9 a.m. -- College of the Arts

Richard Carpenter will receive an honorary doctorate at the College of the Arts commencement ceremony and will be the commencement speaker. Carpenter, a student in the CSULB music department from fall 1964 to spring 1969, will receive a doctorate of fine arts. Expected number of graduates: 400
 
• 1 p.m. -- College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Rene Froehmer, a math major and President's Scholar with a 4.0 GPA, will receive the Outstanding Baccalaureate Graduate. Expected number of graduates: 200.
 
• 5 p.m. -- College of Education

Distinguished alumnus Cedric Anderson will be speaking. Anderson received a master's of public administration in May 1979 and a master's of arts in educational administration in December 1988 from CSULB. He is a teacher at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. About 460 graduates are expected at the ceremony.