TCU today bestowed degrees on 821 students at its Fall Commencement, graduating students from 32 states, including Texas, and 28 foreign countries in a formal ceremony held in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Students received their diplomas from Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. Chancellor Boschini delivered the commencement address. The University also today conferred an Honorary Doctorate of the University (posthumous) on Marine Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt. Schmidt spent three semesters at TCU before joining the Marines in 2008. On his second tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2011, Schmidt was shot and killed while patrolling with his platoon in Helmand Province. Because of his passion for the University and for history, Cpl. Schmidt requested that a portion of his military life insurance policy benefit be used for a scholarship for history graduate students. Those funds, along with contributions from family members and friends in honor of his heroic service, helped establish the Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Memorial Scholarship. The first award was made in 2012. Additionally, Schmidt’s father and stepmother launched a funding effort that established the Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Professorship in history. For more information, visit http://www.heartofpurple.com.

Among this graduating class, Amberle Durano, a senior nursing major at TCU, faced incredible odds on her journey to graduation. In October 2012, Durano was diagnosed with TENS disease (toxic epidural necrolysis), a life-threatening illness that causes the skin to blister on the inside and out. The disease left her in the hospital for five weeks and damaged her vision significantly. She returned to school less than a year after the disease altered her life, and has continued to have multiple surgeries to correct her vision. On Saturday, Durano will graduate with a bachelors of science degree in nursing. After graduation she plans to continue the legacy of those who cared for her as a nurse in the medical ICU at Baylor University Medical Center.

Besides those receiving bachelor’s degrees, there were 160 master’s degree candidates, 39 doctoral candidates and 17 Brite Divinity School graduate candidates. One hundred fifteen graduated with Latin Honors: 45 cum laude, 46 magna cum laude and 24 summa cum laude. Four students graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA and nine students received double degrees.

The University also recognized professors for their outstanding teaching and quality research or creativity. Nominees for the Deans’ Creativity or Research Award include Robert Leone (Marketing); Jan Lacina (Education); Michael Heil (Theatre); Meena Shah (Kinesiology); Rebecca Sharpless (History and Geography); Daniel Gil (English); Paul Schrodt (Communications Studies) and Onofrio Annunziata (Chemistry). Schrodt, Lacina and Shah won the $2,500 award for producing the highest quality research or creative activity over the last several years.

Nominees for the Deans’ Teaching Award include Nancy Nix (Info Systems & Supply Chain Management); Amber Esping (Education); Lewis Glaser (School of Art); Diane Hawley (Nursing); Rob Garnett (Economics); Mark Dennis (Religion); John Horner (Biology); and Gregory Mansur (Film, TV & Digital Media). Mansur, Glaser and Garnett won the $2,500 award, which is voted on by their peers, for dedicated teaching. 

For more information on TCU’s commencement ceremony, visit www.commencement.tcu.edu.