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By Larry Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
U.S. Rep. John Linder will speak at UGA’s summer semester Commencement Aug. 4 at  9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.
Linder, who represents Georgia’s 11th Congressional District, which includes Athens, will speak in a combined ceremony for undergraduate and graduate students who complete degree requirements at the end of summer semester.
“Congressman Linder has dedicated several years of distinguished service to the local community and to this state,” says President Michael F. Adams. “He has been a great friend to the University of Georgia, helping secure federal funding for the Coverdell Center and the Savannah River Ecology Lab, as well as other initiatives. I am pleased that he is willing to take time out of his schedule to share words of wisdom with our graduates at such an important
ceremony.”
Linder, first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, is an advocate for small business and families, and strongly supports lowering taxes and reducing federal spending and government regulation. He is a member of the House Rules Committee and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House.
Before being elected to the House, he served seven terms in the Georgia General Assembly, where he supported legislative reform measures including disclosure of lobbyist expenditures and competitive bidding for legislative procurement.
He also worked to open committee meetings to the public and to place control of public schools in local communities.
A native of Deer River, Minn., Linder received a doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Minnesota. He moved to Georgia in 1969 and opened a dental practice in the Atlanta area. In 1977, he founded Linder Financial Corp., which provides financial assistance to small businesses throughout the South, and served as president of the firm until his election to the House.
The exact number of students who will be eligible to participate in commencement exercises won’t be known until after summer semester final exams end on Aug. 3.
The ceremony will include the traditional ritual in which Ph.D. candidates receive the academic hood from their major professor or a member of the graduate faculty.
Candidates for master’s degrees will walk across the stage and shake hands with President Adams and Graduate School Dean Gordhan Patel. Undergraduate students will stand in the audience as their names are called.
This will be the first of three commencement ceremonies UGA will hold during the 2001-2002 academic year. Fall semester commencement will be Dec. 15, and spring commencement will be May 11, 2002. |
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