Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law will celebrate its 2013 commencement ceremony in the ONU Sports Center on Sunday, May 19, 2013, at 2 p.m. Approximately 100 students will be awarded degrees, and Dr. Daniel DiBiasio, Ohio Northern University president, will preside.
The ONU Sports Center is scheduled to open for the commencement exercises at 12:30 p.m. A musical prelude will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by the procession of faculty and juris doctorate candidates.
In addition to juris doctor degrees, ONU will confer LL.M. degrees to 12 lawyers from transitional and emerging democracies who have completed a yearlong course of intensive study in the Democratic Governance and Rule of Law program. There also are six students who concurrently earned a J.D. and LL.M. degree.
Ryan Regel of Saint Clairsville, Ohio, will give the invocation, and Jackie Dobbert of Avon, Ind., will sing the national anthem and the benediction. Steindor Dan Jensen of Reykjavik, Iceland, will play special music.
U.S. Congressman Tom Reed of New York will deliver the commencement address. Reed, a 1996 graduate of the ONU Pettit College of Law, was first elected to represent the 29th District of New York in a special election held Nov. 2, 2010. He took office during the “lame duck” session of the 111th Congress and began his own full two-year term in the 112th Congress on Jan. 5, 2011.
Reed, a Republican, was re-elected on Nov. 6, 2012, to serve a two-year term in the new 23rd District. In June 2011, Reed was appointed to the Committee on Ways and Means, which has broad jurisdiction over many issues, including tax policy, trade, health care and Social Security. He serves on the Human Resources, Oversight, and Select Revenue Measures subcommittees of Ways and Means.
Previously, Reed served on the Rules, Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Reed currently co-chairs the House Manufacturing Caucus and Congressional Natural Gas Caucus, and he is vice chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus.
Elise N. McQuain of Kearneysville, W.Va., will deliver the student address.
Steve Veltri, interim dean of the Pettit College of Law, will give remarks. Assisted by members of the tenured law faculty, Veltri will next place the academic hood upon each candidate, which will be followed by DiBiasio’s presentation of the diplomas. Dobbert will sing the musical benediction, and Hope Smalls of Dayton, Ohio, will give the spoken benediction.
A reception for graduates and families will take place in the College of Law immediately following the ceremony.
