Date:
5/5/2004
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Helena Rodriguez
PORTALES— A woman who has served as a U.S. representative to the United Nations General Assembly, spoken before Congress numerous times, and appeared on "Larry King Live" will be the featured speaker during Eastern New Mexico University's spring commencement at 10 a.m. on Sat., May 15 in Greyhound Arena.
Dr. Leticia Chambers, current executive director of the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education, will give the keynote address as 352 ENMU students are conferred with associates, undergraduate and graduate degrees. The number is slightly up from 346 ENMU graduates last spring, according to Amy Holt, associate director of Institutional Research/Planning Services at ENMU.
As executive director of the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education, Chambers' duties include guiding the commission in allocating state funds to colleges and universities and recommending capitol projects to the
legislature. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a doctorate from Oklahoma State University.
Chambers also chairs the New Mexico Education Trust Board and is a board member on the New Mexico Student Loan and Guarantee Corp. Prior to joining the commission, she founded and was CEO of Chamber Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy consulting firm.
In 1996, Chambers served as U.S. Representative to the U.N. General Assembly, which was an ambassadorial rank. In 1992, she also served on the Clinton/Gore transition team as chief budget advisor and helped develop
early drafts of the president's economic plan. In addition, Chambers was the first woman to head the staff of a major standing committee of the U.S. Senate when she served as the staff director of the Senate Committee on
Labor and Human Relations.
A variety of pre-graduation ceremonies and events have been planned at ENMU prior to the May 15 commencement. They will be held on Friday, May 14, and will include:
Nurse's pinning at 1:30 p.m. in Buchanan Hall
Academic Honors Convocation from 3–5 p.m. in the University Theater
Center for students receiving graduation honors
New graduates reception from 4–5 p.m. in the Campus Union Building
The public is invited to all activities.