Stephen L. Weber

Distinguished alumnus to speak at summer graduation

The president of San Diego State University will address BGSU graduates at summer graduation ceremonies on Aug. 7.

Stephen L. Weber will also receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award during the commencement exercises, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of University Hall.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor bestowed by the University’s Alumni Association and recognizes Bowling Green graduates for professional achievements in their chosen fields. Weber will become only the 45th graduate to be so honored.

A Boston native, Weber received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University in 1964. He pursued graduate studies in philosophy and classics at the University of Colorado before earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 1969.

His academic career began at the University of Maine, where he was a faculty member from 1969-79 and assistant to the president from 1976-79. While teaching at Maine, he was chosen as the outstanding professor of humanities on the Orono campus.

In 1979, Weber moved to Fairfield (Conn.) University, where he was a faculty member and dean of arts and sciences until 1984. He was then named vice president for academic affairs at St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and, in 1988, president of the State University of New York’s Oswego campus. He remained there until 1995-96, when he served as interim system provost of SUNY.

Since 1996, Weber has been president at San Diego State, which, with more than 34,000 students, is the third largest university in California. Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research-intensive university, San Diego State received roughly $140 million in awards for faculty grants and contracts for research and educational projects during the 2002-03 fiscal year.

The author of numerous articles on philosophy and higher education, Weber has served as chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. He is a member of the Leadership Group, a collaboration of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

He also serves on the boards of governors for the Peres Center for Peace and the San Diego Foundation; the boards of directors for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. and the San Diego Science and Technology Council, and the oversight committee for the Bowl Championship Series.

In 2000, Weber was named a Leader of Vision by the League of Women Voters of San Diego. The previous year, he received the Executive Director’s Award from the San Diego Education Association and the Gold Key Award from the San Diego Hospitality Association. He was one of the San Diego Press Club’s Headliners of the Year in 1997, when he was also presented the Peacemaker Award by the San Diego Mediation Center.

BGSU President Sidney Ribeau will preside at the summer graduation ceremonies, which will be moved to Anderson Arena in the event of rain.