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May 2017 CCA Commencement

WVU Grads

West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts will host their May Commencement ceremony:

Friday, May 12, 2017, at 2 p.m.
 at the WVU Creative Arts Center.

Honorary Degree Recipient:

Bill Withers’ songs “Lean On Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” not only topped the charts, but became the background music for scenes in several motion pictures including Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Jerry Maguire, Jackie Brown, Notting Hill, The Bodyguard, American Beauty, The Heat and The Secret Life of Pets. Artists like Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Maroon 5, Linda Ronstadt, Paul McCartney, Sting, Jimmy Buffet and Diana Ross have all covered Withers’ songs. Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. “Lean On Me” was performed at inauguration ceremonies for presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Withers will speak at the College of Creative Arts commencement. Also speaking is:

James Miltenberger has taught piano at the WVU School of Music for more than 50 years. He has been named an Outstanding Teacher by the College of Creative Arts on several occasions, the first in 1972. In 2015 he was named a Teacher of Influence by the WVU Alumni Association, and most recently a 2017 Music Teachers National Association Fellow. Miltenberger’s performing career includes solo recitals in major cities (Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, Washington, D. C., Chicago and Paris. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony of Thailand. The Miltenberger Jazz group was formed in 1970 and has performed extensively in the U.S. and Europe. The group plans another European tour next year. He has performed as a soloist with a number of WVU groups, including the WVU Symphony, the WVU Wind Symphony and the WVU Alumni Band. Miltenberger has performed and presented at more than 10 international professional organizations, collaborating with faculty colleagues. Most recently, he led a group of students and alumni in a presentation at the 2017 National Convention of MTNA in Baltimore. He has performed in school in nearly every county in West Virginia, primarily with WVU percussion and the jazz group, and is active in fundraising for the Steinway Campaign, the WVU Piano Festival and the scholarship that bears his name.

Outstanding Students: 

Anna Kathryn Bean – Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies

Rebecca Lynn Graham – Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture

Ashley Marie Driscoll – Bachelor of Music in Music Education & Music Performance:  Instrumental

Bryon Morris Utley – Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Technology

Student Marshals, Highest GPA:

Anna Kathryn Bean – Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies

Emily Nicole Harmon – Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education

Luke Andrew Diamond – Bachelor of Music in Music Performance: Voice

Ruth Anne Williams – Bachelor of Music in Music Education

Ronald Louis Ziccardi – Bachelor of Music in Music Education

Lucia Helena Zung de Andrade – Bachelor of Music in Music Performance: Instrumental

Kathleen Margaret Sweat – Bachelor of Arts in Dance

For more information on graduation, visit: graduation.wvu.edu.