More than 340 students are expected to earn degrees Saturday, May 17, at Westminster College's 154th commencement ceremonies. A baccalaureate service will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Orr Auditorium with commencement at 2:30 p.m. on the Senior Terrace of Old Main.

The baccalaureate message, "You're Somebody," will be given by the Rev. Dr. William J. Carl III, president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and professor of homiletics. 

The commencement ceremony will include two speakers who will share thoughts after receiving honorary degrees.

Ronald A. Wolk, a 1954 Westminster graduate and chairman of the board of Editorial Projects in Education, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters, honoris causa.

Wolk earned master's degrees from Syracuse University and Brown University, and a doctor of humane letters from Lebanon Valley College.

Wolk's distinguished career in K-12 and higher education began in the late 1950s. He served as editor of the Johns Hopkins University alumni magazine; speech writer and proposal writer for Milton S. Eisenhower; president of Johns Hopkins University; special assistant to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence; assistant director of the Carnegie Commission on the Future of Higher Education; and founding editor of Education Week and Teaching magazines.

Wolk received the 2002 Crossing the River Jordan Award from the Public Education Network in recognition of his advocacy for disadvantaged children, and the American Education Research Association's 2005 Public Service Award for his contributions to the integration of research in teaching.

He serves as chairman of the board for Big Picture Inc., a national non-profit school reform network, and writes extensively about K-12 education issues for professional and popular audiences.

R. Thomas Williamson, Westminster's retiring president, will receive an honorary doctor of public service, honoris causa.

Williamson, Westminster's 13th president, earned an undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster and a juris doctorate from the University of Baltimore. Following service as a naval officer, Williamson worked in the corporate new products and the corporate legal departments of McCormick and Company in Hunt Valley, Md.; as director of the Economic Development and Technical Assistance Center at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh; and as vice president for external relations and then as executive vice president of Clarkson University before arriving at Westminster in July 1997.

Williamson serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit organizations; is a member of the Division III NCAA Presidents Advisory Council; and is president of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities and the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Upon retirement, Williamson and his wife, Jean, will move to a home near Williamsburg, Va.

The class of 2008 has selected Jenna Diorio to give the senior address. An English and music major, Diorio is a graduate of Boardman High School and a daughter of Gary and Anna Marie Diorio of Poland, Ohio.

In case of rain, the commencement ceremony will be held in Memorial Field House. Contact Gabriella Budai at (724) 946-7122 for more information. 

Ronald Wolk

R. Thomas Williamson

Rev. Dr. William J. Carl III