Winter Commencement is this evening ASU will hold Winter Commencement tonight at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center and will include all colleges. ASU Chancellor Dr. Robert L. Potts will present the diplomas. Brittany Burton of West Memphis, bachelor of arts in chemistry, summa cum laude, and Honors Program, will be the student speaker. The Registrar's Office has listed 677 students as degree candidates, with 150 students as candidates for graduate degrees and 527 as candidates for undergraduate degrees. A reception for all graduates, their guests, and faculty and staff will be held on the north mezzanine, between the blue entrance and the green entrance, following the ceremony. All faculty, staff, graduates, and their guests are invited to attend. Dr. Cooksey to serve as interim dean, University College Dr. Lynita Cooksey has been selected to serve as interim dean of the University College, effective Jan. 1. A veteran faculty member and administrator at ASU, she has served in various capacities since joining the university staff in 1993. She will succeed Dr. Herman Strickland, who has announced his retirement at the end of the year. Dr. Glen Jones, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and research, announced the appointment and said a national search will be conducted for a permanent dean. Cooksey has served since June 2000 as associate vice chancellor for academic services, and she will continue in that role also. See the NewsPage release for more details. Director of Jazz Studies performs in 'High School Musical' E. Ron Horton, Music, performed as lead trumpeter for the off-Broadway production of Disney's "High School Musical" earlier this month. Horton performed a single rehearsal and eight performances for audiences during the show's five-day run in Robinson Center Music Hall, Little Rock. In addition to performing a very challenging score that encompassed a wide variety of musical styles, Horton met with industry musicians and gained firsthand knowledge of their experiences as traveling musicians. New director chosen for Arkansas Dept. of Higher Ed Dr. James Purcell has been chosen as the new director  of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently announced. Dr. Purcell, who currently serves as executive director for State System Research for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, will succeed Dr. Linda Beene, who resigned in July. Dr. Purcell will lead the ADHE, an agency that coordinates with 33 state colleges and universities, has an operating budget of more than $3 million, and administers approximately $50 million in state-funded scholarships and grants annually. Free 2008 ASU desk calendars will soon be available ASU's Printing Services is offering free 2008 ASU desk calendars shortly after Wednesday, Jan. 2. Departments wishing to obtain calendars should e-mail Lou Adams to reserve sets. The number of calendars is limited, and once the reserved calendars are gone, the remainder will be released. Back to the top