8:37 a.m., Jan. 7, 2009----The University of Delaware's Winter Commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, in the Bob Carpenter Center.

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For those unable to attend, the ceremony will be Webcast live through the UD Live! Web site.

Winter Commencement, for students who complete their degree requirements in August and December, traditionally features a distinguished University of Delaware graduate as the guest speaker.

Delivering the Commencement address this year will be Mary Patterson McPherson, executive director of the American Philosophical Society (APS).

McPherson, who received her master's degree in philosophy from the University of Delaware in 1960, leads the APS in its efforts to promote knowledge in the sciences and humanities through scholarly research.

Before being named as executive director of APS in 2007, McPherson served as vice president and as program officer for the liberal arts colleges program of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, an influential philanthropic supporter of higher education.

McPherson joined the faculty of Bryn Mawr College, in Bryn Mawr, Pa., in 1961 and served in several positions there as well as earning her doctorate from Bryn Mawr. From 1978-97, McPherson served as the sixth president of Bryn Mawr College and led the institution through a period of growth in the number and diversity of its students.

Known for her commitment to liberal arts and higher education for women, McPherson was awarded the University of Delaware Medal of Distinction in 1984 and became a member of UD's Wall of Fame in 1991.

Saturday's ceremony will conclude with a reception in the concourse (upper level) of the Bob Carpenter Center. Graduates are encouraged to use this opportunity for photographs with fellow graduates, family and friends. Light refreshments will be served.