Microsoft vice president will address graduates at ceremony

More than 3,000 students will be awarded degrees at the Winter Commencement ceremony Dec. 15.

MICHAEL MEISINGER/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Communication senior Doug Caranci tries on his graduation gown at the UofA Bookstore, yesterday evening. More than 3,000 students will graduate at the Dec. 15 ceremony, with Microsoft vice president Deborah Willingham as commencement speaker.

University of Arizona President Peter Likins will award 2,008 bachelor's degrees, 745 master's degrees and 265 doctoral degrees. Eighteen law degrees and eight Master's of Law degrees will also be conferred.

The students being honored completed their degree requirements either this fall or in August.

Deborah N. Willingham, senior vice president of human resources for Microsoft Corporation, is the scheduled commencement speaker.

Willingham is the only woman on the Microsoft's 16-member executive business leadership team.

During her seven years at Microsoft, Willingham has been vice president for Windows marketing, vice president of enterprise customer unit and vice president of product support services. Willingham graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in industrial and systems engineering.

The significance of Willingham's leadership roles is magnified by her female status in a male-dominated field. Although the entire U.S. workforce consists of 47 percent women, they represent only 29 percent of the technology sector workforce, according to a White House study.

"No one has the right percentage of women in senior jobs," Willingham said in an interview with InformationWeek.com. "People need the right experience to be successful. You can't say, 'I want more women at the top, so put more women at the top.' It has to start from the bench."

Willingham - who will be awarded an honorary doctorate in science - will be one of three people awarded honorary degrees at the ceremony.

William G. Hillenbrand, who helped fund the construction and renovation of several UA athletic facilities, will be presented an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

Lee Meyerson, who helped establish several research projects in the College of Education, will be awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Six graduates will also be presented with achievement awards recognizing their work as UA students. The Centennial Achievement Undergraduate Awards will be presented to Rachel Burke and Nathan Pryor, who will both earn regional development degrees.

The Centennial Achievement Graduate Awards, which are presented to students earning master's degrees, will go to Judy Kiyama, a higher education student, and Rudy Molina, a bilingual/multicultural special education and rehabilitation student.

Antonio Bermudez, a doctoral student studying Spanish and Portuguese, and Lizary Rodriguez-Rios, a music student, will receive the Centennial Achievement Graduate Student Awards, which are given to outstanding doctoral students.

The Dec. 15 graduation will be the first to begin its procession at Old Main instead of the Cherry Avenue Parking Garage.

"The students will be able to pass by landmarks that they've seen through their years at the University and walk through the Mall," said Ray Quintero, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

The procession will proceed from Old Main east on the mall to the "Pomp and Circumstance" played by the carillon and then into McKale.

"Audience members and guests in McKale will be able to see students go by these landmarks," Quintero said.