June 19, 2006

A weekend of ceremony, celebrations for Class of 2006

UCSC was a scene of sunny celebration over the weekend as students received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in commencement ceremonies.

Students in the Graduate Division were the first to get their diplomas, with commencement taking place on Friday. Photos: Jim MacKenzie

Featured speakers for the Class of 2006 included a former NASA astronaut, the cofounder of Apple Computer, and a member of the California Assembly.

UCSC alumnus Steven Hawley (Ph.D., astronomy and astrophysics, '77), who flew on five space shuttle missions, returned to campus to deliver the keynote address at the commencement for graduate students; he is now director of NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate. Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, CEO of location technology company Wheels of Zeus, delivered the keynote at the graduation celebration for the Jack Baskin School of Engineering; and UCSC alumnus John Laird (B.A., politics, '72), a California assemblymember whose district includes Santa Cruz County, was the featured speaker at Crown College's commencement.

Commencement exercises began on Friday, June 16, with the Graduate Division, and concluded with College Ten's ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

In addition to commencement exercises hosted by UCSC's 10 colleges, the Graduate Division, and the School of Engineering, a number of less formal celebrations, also beginning June 16, honored graduates.