Saturday’s commencement ceremony at Michigan Tech represents a historical milestone for the Graduate School. The first graduate students were on campus in 1889, just four years after Michigan Tech (then called the Michigan Mining School) was established. Since that time, our Graduate School has achieved many milestones and we’re celebrating a big one this week.
First, a little history.
Our first two master’s degrees were awarded in 1927 to Jack L. Byers and Corbin T. Eddy. The first two doctorates were granted in 1934 to Roy W. Drier and Corbin T. Eddy. The first female graduate student at Michigan Tech was Margaret R. Holly who entered the MS degree program in Chemistry in 1935.
The Board of Control approved the creation of the Graduate School in July, 1950 and in 1960, physicist Donald Yerg became the first dean of the Graduate School.
Over the years we’ve had many, many incredible graduates from all over the world go on to accomplish wonderful things. Just a few who stand out are:
- Kanwal Rekhi, MS, Electrical Engineering 1969, an entrepreneur who was part of the first Indian-owned company to go public in the U.S.
- Roxanne Gay, PhD, Rhetoric and Technical Communication 2010, professor and contributing opinion writer at the New York Times
- Yong Bin Yuan, PhD, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics 1991, CEO of Bethel Brake Company in Wuhu, China
- The Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland, Oregon, MS, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 1984
- Otha Thornton, MS, Rhetoric and Technical Communication 2001, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired), board member of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
- Jason Carter, PhD, Biological Sciences 2003, associate vice president for Research Development at Michigan Tech and president-elect of the American Kinesiology Association
And this is just a sampling of the thousands of outstanding recipients of master’s and doctorate degrees from Michigan Tech who are making our world a better place.
Just how many have there been? Well, Michigan Tech is passing an important milestone Saturday (Dec. 15). Among the master’s and doctorate degrees awarded will be the 10,000th graduate degree in Michigan Tech’s history.
“I’m confident,” says Pushpalatha Murthy, dean of the Graduate School, “that among the upcoming and future graduate alumni, including the 10,000thgraduate degree recipient, we will continue to find the leaders the world needs to create a strong, productive and inclusive future.”
Tech will celebrate this milestone in true Tech fashion at commencement Saturday. Go Huskies.