UW-Stevens Point: Alumnus To Address UWSP May Graduates

An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and local business owner who was honored as Wisconsin’s 2005 Young Entrepreneur of the Year will address graduates and their families at UWSP’s spring commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 21.

Andrew Halverson, a 2001 graduate of UWSP, will address more than 1,100 graduates in the Specht Memorial Forum (Sundial) in two ceremonies. Associate and baccalaureate degrees in the College of Letters and Science will be presented at a 10 a.m. ceremony and master’s and baccalaureate degrees in the College of Professional Studies, College of Fine Arts and Communication and the College of Natural Resources will be presented in a 2 p.m. ceremony.

The program will open with the presentation of flags by UWSP’s ROTC color guard. The national anthem will be sung by Noah Buchen, Neenah, and Daniel Schmidt, Juneau, at the 10 a.m. ceremony and by Buchen and Nathan Gerlach, New London, during the 2 p.m. ceremony. Greetings will be presented by Chancellor Linda Bunnell and UW System Regent Elizabeth Burmaster who is also the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Bunnell will introduce the speakers and give the charge to the graduates.

Representing the class of 2006, Suzette Wolosek of Wisconsin Rapids will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony, and Alyson Johnson of White Bear Lake, Minn., will speak at the afternoon ceremony. Deans from their respective colleges will assist the chancellor in the presentation of diplomas. Professors Dan Dieterich and Bob Bell will introduce each candidate for graduation. The youngest member of the this year’s graduation class is 20 and its oldest member is 55.

Vikki Nason of Stevens Point, a 2002 UWSP graduate, will give the charge to alumni. Music will be provided by the UWSP Commencement Band, conducted by Music Professor Scott Teeple.

A Stevens Point native and 2001 alumnus of UWSP, Andrew Halverson opened Andrew’s Ltd. Distinctive Men’s Clothing of Stevens Point as its owner and general manager just one year after graduating from UWSP. Since then he has been honored as Wisconsin’s 2005 Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Portage County’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year. He is a member of the board of directors of the Portage County Business Council, Saint Michael’s Hospital Foundation and UWSP Alumni Association. He also has served as vice president of the Stevens Point Kiwanis Club and is a member of the Portage County Democratic Party and Stevens Point Elks Lodge.

While at UWSP he was a two-time recipient of the Chancellor’s Leadership Award and also received the University Leadership Award and James H. Albertson Medallion of Excellence, the university’s highest honor. He was president of the Student Government Association, co-president of the College Democrats and a charter member of Pi Sigma Alpha national political science honor society. He also represented the student body on the Chancellor’s Cabinet, Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee and United Council of Students in Madison.

He and his wife, Shana, have one son and reside in Stevens Point.