William Penn University announces commencement speaker
William Penn University
William Penn University is proud to announce this year’s keynote speaker at graduation will be Dr. Melvin Oliver. A 1972 graduate of William Penn, Oliver was the recipient of the University’s Distinguished Career Award in 2012. After graduating from William Penn, he went on to receive his master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
He was named the SAGE Sara Miller McCune Dean of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2004. He served eight years as the Dean for the Division of Social Sciences, and was named Executive Dean of the College of Letters and Science in July 2012.
From 1978 to 1996, Dr. Oliver was a faculty member at UCLA, teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. In 1994, he was named the California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching for his “extraordinary dedication to teaching and commitment to students”. That same year, he was also named the winner of the Harriet and Charles Luckman Distinguished Teaching Award from the UCLA Alumni Association.
In the mid-1990s, he helped direct a study of urban inequality that brought together scholars from many disciplines and multiple research sites. The study was a collaborative effort of UCLA and the poverty research center at the University of Michigan, which led to the publication of six volumes and numerous articles. Oliver’s work on the project is considered among his most important contributions to urban society. He has also co-edited three other books and has authored over 50 scholarly publications.
Dr. Melvin Oliver will address nearly 370 undergraduate and graduate students on Saturday, May 11. The 2013 commencement ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Penn Activity Center on the Oskaloosa campus. William Penn University is honored to welcome distinguished alumnus Dr. Melvin Oliver as this year’s keynote speaker.
