Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will host its annual fall commencement exercises on Saturday, Dec. 9.
A total of 694 candidates have completed plans of study in PNW’s academic colleges of Business; Engineering and Sciences; Humanities, Education and Social Sciences; Nursing; and Technology. Honors College graduates who have completed enriched multidisciplinary academic opportunities, leadership engagement and community service will also be recognized.
The candidates include 544 earning their baccalaureate degrees and 150 earning their master’s degrees. Candidates for graduation include students who completed plans of study in summer and fall 2023.
Two fall commencement ceremonies will take place indoors at the Fitness and Recreation Center on the Hammond campus. Candidates from the colleges of Business and Nursing will be honored during the 11 a.m. ceremony. Candidates from the colleges of Engineering and Sciences; Humanities, Education and Social Sciences; and Technology will be honored during the 3 p.m. ceremony. All event start times are central standard time (CST). In case of severe weather, the back-up date is Sunday, Dec. 10.
Two elected Indiana state representatives will serve as a keynote speaker for each ceremony. Indiana State Rep. Harold (Hal) Slager, 15th District, will provide the morning address and Indiana State Rep. Mike Andrade, 12th District, will deliver the afternoon address.
Slager was first elected in 2012 as a state representative for Indiana House District 15. He currently serves on the House Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. During Slager's time in office, he has worked on addressing many issues to improve the Northwest Indiana region. He authored legislation outlining the funding and development mechanism for South Shore double tracking and the transit development districts associated with each rail stop. The first-of-its-kind law included funding of $6 million per year and a 30-year state commitment. He also supported Purdue Northwest by advocating for the replacement of an old facility at the Hammond campus and secured $35 million in funding for construction of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building. To protect the Hoosier wetlands, he successfully authored an amendment to establish a professional task force to improve protocols on management of isolated wetlands within the state.
Andrade serves as state representative for Indiana House District 12. He currently serves on the House Financial Institutions Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. As one of a few Latino legislators in Indiana’s House of Representatives, Andrade is a proud member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, and co-chairs the Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives Advisory Board for Purdue University Northwest. Andrade serves on several local boards, including the governance committee for United Way Northwest Indiana, the Purdue University Northwest Chancellor’s Board of Advisors, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue’s Advisory Council and the Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s (NIPSCO) Community Advisory Panel.
In-person attendance at fall commencement will be limited to ticketed attendees. The ceremony will be livestreamed at pnw.edu/commencement-live .
