Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones will be the keynote speaker for Lamar University’s spring commencement at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Montagne Center.
Lamar is scheduled to confer 730 degrees, including 22 doctorates, to graduates from 12 countries, 14 states outside Texas and 106 cities in Texas. The degree candidates also include 73 receiving master’s degrees and 635 receiving bachelor’s degrees. This will be the largest spring commencement in many years, said Kevin Smith, senior associate provost.
Highlights will include presentation of the Plummer Award, recognizing the top academic graduates in the class of May 2008, and other honors graduates.
President James Simmons will present introductions and student recognitions. Stephen Doblin, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will welcome graduates and guests and certify degree candidates.
A sixth-generation Texan from San Antonio, Jones served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives before her appointment in 2005 by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Railroad Commission. In November 2006, she was elected to serve a six-year term.
Jones serves as the Railroad Commission’s representative to the Coastal Coordination Council and the Coastal Land Advisory Board. She is a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which appointed her to represent its interest in the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America. The Research Partnership is a non-profit corporation that partners with energy-related entities and research organizations to help meet the nation’s need for hydrocarbon resources.
During her tenure in the Texas Legislature, Jones was one of Texas’ three appointees to the Southern States Energy Board, whose mission is to enhance economic development and to improve living conditions through innovations in energy and environmental programs and technologies.
She also served as chairman of budget and oversight for the Energy Resources Committee and served on committees such as Appropriations, Local and Consent Calendars, and Select School Finance. In addition, she successfully spearheaded efforts to establish the Texas Cord Blood Bank in San Antonio, which will store and provide umbilical cord stem cells to treat diseases like leukemias, lymphomas, sickle cell anemia and primary deficiencies of the immune system.
The recipient of many awards recognizing her work ethic in the Legislature, Jones said she recognizes how important industries regulated by the Railroad Commission are to the state’s economy and to national security. She says she will continue to work steadfastly to ensure the protection of Texas’ natural resources as well as foster the growth of a strong domestic energy industry.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she and her husband, Will, are the parents of two college-age children.
The commencement ceremony will begin as Kurt Gilman, associate professor of music and president of the Faculty Senate, leads the academic processional. He will lead the recessional at the conclusion of the program. Paul Hemenway, chair of the Department of Communication, and Victoria Price, professor of modern languages (retired) will present the graduating class.
Angela Pickering, adjunct instructor of voice, will lead in singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Lamar Alma Mater. The Lamar Band, under the direction of Barry Johnson, professor of music and vice president for student affairs, will perform the processional, recessional and musical prelude.
