Public Safety Communications Expert to Speak at WWU Commencement June 13

DATE: June 2, 2009 11:15:53 AM PDT

Contact: Office of University Communications, (360) 650-3350

BELLINGHAM – Rick Dale (’83) a global expert in building emergency and 9-1-1 communications systems, will speak at spring Commencement ceremonies Saturday, June 13 in Carver Gymnasium at Western Washington University.

Dale is chairman and CEO of iXP Corp., a company that develops some of the most complex emergency communications systems in the world, including the 9-1-1 call center for the New York Police Department. He’ll speak at all three ceremonies about the value of ethics and integrity in business, as well as the value of a Western education.

For the first time this year, Western will hold three spring Commencement ceremonies to ensure that seats will be available for all ticket holders. About 1,795 undergraduate and 170 master’s students are expected to graduate June 13. Admission is by ticket only, and each graduate will be allowed four tickets. Overflow seating also will be available on campus.

Dale, who earned a degree in Business Administration/Computer Science, began his career writing software for the Tacoma Police Department and later developed 9-1-1 call centers throughout Washington, including one in Whatcom County. Now, his company develops emergency communications systems for large cities and universities all over the world. iXP worked with New York City to improve the city’s emergency response systems after the 9/11 terrorist attack. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife, Julie, also a 1983 graduate of Western, and two of their three children. Their oldest son, Zac, is a sophomore at WWU.

The 9 a.m. ceremony will include candidates from the College of Business and Economics, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Huxley College of the Environment. At 12:30 p.m., candidates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Humanities Division) will graduate along with those from Woodring College of Education. At 4 p.m. will be the ceremony for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Social Sciences Division) and the College of Sciences and Technology.

For those without tickets, the ceremonies will be broadcast in the Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (SMATE) building and in Arntzen 100 on large viewing screens. Off campus, the ceremony will be broadcast live on Whatcom County’s Comcast cable service channel 26.

In addition to the keynote speaker, a WWU student will speak at each commencement ceremony. Byron Yee, the Outstanding Graduate in Theatre Arts, will speak at the 9 a.m. ceremony. Yee, graduate of Skyline High School in Sammamish, double majored in Theatre and Business. The 12:30 p.m. speaker will be Jonathan Bowdler, a History major who will speak on the professor-student relationship. Bowdler, a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Seattle, is a former intern for Uplift International, a global health non-profit organization in Seattle. Finally, Elizabeth Wratten, a Geology major, will speak at 4 p.m. The graduate of Shorewood High School in Shoreline will speak about how she and her fellow graduates will be the ones to tackle the problems of the future.

Following WWU tradition, graduates will proceed to the walk in front of Old Main after the completion of each ceremony, where they will pass through a corridor of faculty and deposit their Western identification cards in a box that is later cemented into Memory Walk.

There will be additional commencement-related ceremonies and gatherings during the afternoon. Fairhaven College will hold an additional ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, followed by a reception in the Fairhaven College Lounge. There will also be a celebration for Huxley graduates at 2 p.m. on the PAC Mainstage, with a reception in the PAC plaza. A reception for Woodring graduates will follow the 12:30 p.m. Commencement ceremony in the Miller Hall courtyard.

Guest parking is free on Commencement day and available in most lots. Visitors must observe regulations for handicapped and individually reserved spaces. Guests are advised to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion and to allow for travel time between the parking lots and gym. Shuttle bus service will be available from the 12A parking lot off Bill McDonald Parkway near Fairhaven College, but the buses cannot accommodate wheelchairs. The shuttle service begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. or until there is no demand. Guests in wheelchairs may park in Lot 10G behind Miller Hall. Parking attendants will be available to assist guests with special parking needs.

For more information or for disability accommodations contact the Registrar’s Office, (360) 650-3985.

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