Marking
the
climax
of
their
college
experience,
approximately
535
undergraduate
and
115
graduate
students
will
join
the
ranks
of
48,000
alumni
before
them
who
proudly
call
Baldwin
Wallace
their
alma
mater.
The
168th
Baldwin
Wallace
University
Commencement
will
be
held
Saturday,
May
5,
2
p.m.,
in
Ursprung
Gymnasium
in
the
Lou
Higgins
Center.
The
speaker
is
Dr.
Janet
L.
Kavandi,
director
of
the
National
Aeronautics
and
Space
Administration's
John
H.
Glenn
Research
Center
in
Cleveland.
From
Springfield
to
Space
Shuttles
An
exemplary
leader,
Kavandi
has
an
impressive
background
focused
on
public
service
through
NASA.
As
director
of
the
Glenn
facility,
she
is
responsible
for
planning,
organizing
and
directing
the
activities
assigned
to
the
76-year-old
NASA
center.
Prior
to
this
position,
Kavandi
served
as
Glenn's
deputy
director.
Before
coming
to
Cleveland,
she
worked
at
the
NASA
Johnson
Space
Center
in
Houston
where
she
served
as
the
director
of
flight
crew
operations
and
deputy
director
of
the
health
and
human
performance
directorate.
Kavandi
fulfilled
her
childhood
wish
of
becoming
an
astronaut
in
December
1994.
She
is
a
veteran
of
three
space
flights,
serving
as
a
mission
specialist
in
1998,
2000
and
2001.
She
logged
more
than
33
days
in
space
and
traveled
more
than
13.1
million
miles
in
535
Earth
orbits.
Born
in
Springfield,
Missouri,
she
earned
her
bachelor's,
master's
and
doctoral
degrees
in
chemistry
from
Missouri
Southern
State
University,
Missouri
University
of
Science
and
Technology
and
the
University
of
Washington.
Her
accolades
include
a
Presidential
Rank
Award,
two
NASA
Outstanding
Leadership
Medals,
two
Exceptional
Service
Medals
and
three
NASA
Space
Flight
Medals.
