PORT ANGELES — Andy Geiger, who was named to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics’ Hall of Fame in 2010, will be the keynote speaker at Peninsula College’s commencement ceremony Saturday.
The college will award more than 500 degrees and certificates to graduates during the 53rd commencement exercises in the college gymnasium on the main campus in Port Angeles, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., beginning at 2 p.m.
Guests are advised to arrive early. The doors will open at 1 p.m. Admission is limited to those with tickets.
Should the gymnasium fill, overflow seating will be available in A-12 with a video stream of the event.
The student speaker will be Nicole Perez of Port Angeles.
A reception at the Pirate Union Building, known as the PUB, will immediately follow the ceremony.
Geiger, a Port Angeles resident, worked for 36 years as an athletic director for several institutions, including Ohio State, Brown University and Stanford University.
He retired from Ohio State in 2005 after 11 years, saying he was “bone weary,” according to The New York Times.
In the previous two years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has investigated the Ohio State athletic department for improprieties in its football and basketball programs.
In 2012-13, Geiger came out of semi-retirement in Port Angeles to serve a one-year term as interim athletic director at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
The Sports Business Journal named him Athletic Director of the Year in 2003, and he received the John L. Toner Award from the National Football Foundation the same year.
Geiger is also a longtime member of the PC Jazz Ensemble, where he plays the saxophone.
Student speaker
Perez, who has a 3.75 grade-point average, will graduate with an associate degree and plans to pursue a bachelor’s in elementary education.
Student speakers are nominated and then voted on by the Student Affairs Committee.
“My time at Peninsula College has helped me grow in ways that I could have never anticipated when I walked into Student Services in June of 2013,” Perez said.
“I am extremely grateful to be a part of this ceremony and honored that I get a chance to share my journey and transformation with my fellow graduates.”
The PC Jazz Ensemble’s David Jones Trio will perform at the reception.
For family or friends who are unable to attend the ceremony but would still like to be a part of the occasion, the college will provide a live video stream.
The Internet telecast will be available at the Peninsula College website on UStream at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-ustreamtvpc.