Dear Members of the Campus Community,

I am pleased to announce the Commencement speaker and honorary degrees to be conferred at Puget Sound’s 127th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19, 2019.

As a community with a strong and continuing commitment to the liberal arts and to civic engagement, we are especially honored this year that David L. Warren, Ph.D., president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), will deliver the Commencement address and receive the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters, and that Michael Mirra, executive director of the Tacoma Housing Authority, will be named honorary Doctor of Laws.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Warren has been and continues to be one of our country’s most influential advocates for civic engagement, access and equity, and the transformative power of higher education. He has co-chaired the National Campus Voter Registration Project since 1998, and spearheaded the Student Aid Alliance, an ongoing campaign of 50 higher education associations to expand student aid. He also is responsible for the creation of CampusCares, an initiative to gain national recognition for the community service and civic engagement contributions by America's colleges and universities.

Mr. Mirra is a lifelong advocate for equal justice before the law, to fair housing, and to the betterment of the human condition. As head of the Tacoma Housing Authority, Mr. Mirra has been recognized nationally and locally for creating innovative partnerships to improve housing for Tacoma's low-income community. He also practiced law for over 20 years advocating for child welfare, fair housing, and landlord-tenant law. More recently he has been a leader in education by developing housing options for unsheltered students enrolled at UW Tacoma and Tacoma Community College.

Please join me in thanking all those who participated in the selection of these impressive honorands. I look forward to celebrating with you in May.

With my congratulations to the Class of 2019,

Isiaah
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President