Wall of Honor Ceremony and Doctoral Alumni Reception
In
the lobby of Kern Graduate Building, adjacent to the Graduate School's administrative
office, is a Wall of Honor that displays the names of more than 1,000 Penn
State alumni who have reached the 50-year milestone of receiving their doctorates.
Each year, in conjunction with the annual Graduate Exhibition, the names of the newest class members are added to the Wall of Honor and a special ceremony is held to pay tribute to the doctoral alumni who are celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversary. As part of the celebration, graduate students and faculty are invited to a reception following the ceremony to meet the alumni who are being honored at the event.
In spring 2004, the Penn State Alumni Association provided support for the creation of the Wall of Honor and partnered with the Graduate School to sponsor the first celebration. Welcoming the returning alumni to this inaugural event were Penn State President Graham Spanier; Eva J. Pell, senior vice president for Research and dean of the Graduate School; Roger Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association; and Marianne E. Alexander, president of the Alumni Association.
Leading up to the program was a survey that was sent in September 2003 to more than 5,300 alumni who had reached or surpassed the 25-year milestone and another 350 who had reached the 50-year mark to determine their interest in participating in a selection of events during the Graduate Exhibition weekend and receiving a personalized anniversary certificate. Data gathered from the survey is provided below.