Astronaut Leland Melvin to speak at commencement

RELEASED: April 17, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—NASA astronaut Leland Melvin will be the speaker for Centre College's 185th commencement ceremony to be held Sunday, May 18. Melvin will also be presented with an honorary degree.
           
Melvin began working at NASA in 1989, specializing in fiber optic research, and in 1998, he began training for flight missions. He flew his first shuttle mission on the Atlantis in February of this year, a flight that marked the 24th shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
           
Leland also has been co-manager of NASA's Educator Astronaut Program, traveling across the country to engage thousands of students and teachers in the excitement of space exploration and to inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
           
Centre President John A. Roush and his wife Susie first became acquainted with Melvin when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Richmond, where Roush served as vice president for planning before coming to Centre in 1998.
           
"[Melvin] is a remarkable young man," Roush said.
           
The Roush’s admiration for Melvin during his undergraduate years extended to enlisting him to baby-sit for their two elementary-aged sons. Roush feels that the young man who went on to become an astronaut has much to share with Centre graduates.
           
"We know Mr. Melvin has something important to say about an intellectual life, the risks associated with success and the opportunity to pursue a dream," Roush said.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.