The University of North Carolina Wilmington awarded more than 1,800 undergraduate and graduate degrees today in three ceremonies at Trask Coliseum.

Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo conferred degrees upon the graduating students, reminding them to continue their educations and to give back to their communities.

"Travel far and wide, read often, study another language, pursue another degree, take non-credit courses, embrace new experiences and welcome the opportunity to meet new people," she said. "Invest in yourself by dedicating time and resources to continue your education.

"Community involvement is an exceptional way to learn about yourself and others," she continued. "Make a real commitment to serve the communities in which you build your careers and lives."

It was the first time in history that the school held three ceremonies, which were made necessary by its growing number of graduates. The number of students receiving undergraduate degrees increased by about 10 percent over last year's ceremony, while students receiving graduate degrees increased by approximately 13 percent.

The recipient of one of those graduate degrees was Erin Meagher Fougeres, only the second student to earn a doctorate in marine biology from UNC Wilmington's doctoral program.

This past January, Fougeres joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as administrator of the Marine Mammal Stranding Program for the Southeastern United States, while finishing her dissertation. Her research was focused on how bottlenose dolphins regulate their temperature in a warm environment, which provides important groundwork for the examination of the impact of climate change on marine mammals.

D. Ann Pabst, Fougeres' faculty mentor and graduate coordinator for the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, said, "Erin embodies the values of our program. She is an excellent student and one who wishes her work to contribute to our greater understanding of the changing world in which we live. We want to create the strongest possible learning environment, support our students' research goals and provide them a launch pad from which they can make a positive impact upon society." Since earning her Master of Science in Biology from UNCW in 2001, Fougeres has been senior author or co-author of seven peer-reviewed journal articles and federal reports, and 21 scientific presentations.

UNC Wilmington also awarded three honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees to philanthropists Barbro and Bernard Osher and Irwin "Ike" Belk for their exceptional service to the university and for furthering educational opportunities for UNCW students and lifelong learners.

The Oshers

Barbro and Bernard Osher have been heavily involved in philanthropic work in the United States as well as Barbro's native country of Sweden. To support continued learning for older adults, they founded the Bernard Osher Foundation to support continuing education programs at colleges and universities across the nation.

In presenting the honorary degree to Bernard Osher, Provost Paul Hosier stated, "We all know that the earning of a degree, whether a baccalaureate, master's or doctorate, is not and cannot be the end goal of learning. Your recognition of this fact is demonstrated through the Bernard Osher Foundation, which you founded in 1977. . . which supports a growing national network of lifelong learning institutes for older adults.

The honorary doctorates were presented to the Oshers by UNCW in recognition of their "philanthropic support of various artistic endeavors and higher education, in particular your commitment to our shared ideal of lifelong learning."

To date, the foundation has established and funded 119 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI), including one at UNC Wilmington in partnership with the Division for Public Service and Continuing Studies. The Bernard Osher Foundation provided $1 million to endow the OLLI at UNCW, which provides non-credit university courses, seminars, lectures, travel excursions and other educational opportunities to adult learners. The Oshers also established an endowed scholarship at UNCW that provides financial assistance for non-traditional, re-entry students.

The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation supports Swedish-related cultural and educational projects in North America and Sweden. Bernard Osher is co-founder of Golden West Financial and founding director of World Savings, the second largest savings institution in the U.S., which recently merged with Wachovia.

Belk

Currently the chief executive officer of the Belk Group, Inc., Irwin "Ike" Belk has provided many gifts to the UNCW campus as well as to numerous other North Carolina universities. His individual contributions to higher education have included 35 track facilities across the country and, in North Carolina, libraries, gymnasiums, residence halls, auditoriums, sculptures, scholarships, fellowships and professorships.

In presenting the honorary degree to Belk, Provost Hosier praised him as one of the most generous philanthropists in the state and a dedicated supporter of UNC Wilmington.

"Specific gifts to UNCW have supported Bryan Auditorium in Morton Hall, a recently commissioned Seahawk sculpture that will grace the front of campus, and a Distinguished Professorship in Nursing," she said, also noting that Belk Hall, a women's residence hall, is named for Belk's mother, Mary Lenora Irwin Belk.

A former member of the N.C. House of Representatives, Belk served two terms on the UNC Board of Governors. He was appointed by former President Bill Clinton as the U.S. public delegate to the 54th United Nations General Assembly and was the president of the American Cancer Society Foundation for 40 years, for which he received its highest honor, the Merit Award, in 2002.

Media Contacts:
Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.962.3616 or davisjc@uncw.edu

Photo captions:

1. Professor Ann Pabst hoods Erin Meagher Fougeres as she receives her Doctorate of Philosophy in Marine Biology at UNC Wilmington's 2008 commencement Saturday, May 10, 2008 - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

2. Bernard Osher receives his honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree and hood from Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo during UNC Wilmington's 2008 commencement Saturday, May 10, 2008 - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

3. Barbro Osher receives her honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree and hood from Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo during UNC Wilmington's 2008 commencement Saturday, May 10, 2008 - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

4. Bernard and Barbro Osher receive their honorary Doctorate of Humanities degrees at UNC Wilmington's 2008 commencement Saturday, May 10, 2008 - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

5. UNC Wilmington's Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo and Provost Paul Hosier (left) presented Irwin "Ike" Belk (right) an honorary Doctor of Humanities during the 2008 commencement Saturday, May 10, 2008 - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief