91¾«Ñ¡ honored over 750 of its newest 91¾«Ñ¡s and three longtime educators at the university’s May commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 16, on Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus.
The annual spring commencement began with the under91¾«Ñ¡ ceremony. Over 330 students received bachelor’s degrees after studying in more than 60 majors and minors.
The university’s 91¾«Ñ¡ commencement ceremony saw over 430 master’s and doctoral degrees being conferred in athletic training, business administration, education and teaching, health and medical sciences, nonprofit leadership, optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, social work, speech-language pathology and vision science.
During the under91¾«Ñ¡ ceremony, Pacific conferred honorary doctorates to , former director of athletics and professor of physical education, and Mike Steele, Distinguished University Professor emeritus of English, honoring the duo for a half-century of excellence in education.
At the afternoon 91¾«Ñ¡ and professional ceremony, alumnus and Distinguished University Professor of Optometry Graham Erickson ’88, OD ’90, received the Kamelia Massih Prize for a Distinguished Optometrist.
Judy Sherman
Sherman served Pacific in varying capacities from 1967 to 2019 as a physical education professor, coach for the , , and field hockey teams; and an athletics administrator. Sherman led the Pacific for 25 years, leading the Boxers to six conference championships and a third-place finish at the 1985 NAIA Championships. Pacific’s director of athletics from 1992 to 2004, she oversaw the first large-scale renovation of the Stoller Center, the addition of five varsity programs, and Pacific’s transition to NCAA Division III membership.
Sherman is a member of the Pacific, NAIA District II and National Fastpitch Coaches Association halls of fame, and was a member of the USA Softball International Selection Committee that chose the roster for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams. In 2011, Sherman received the , honoring individuals and organizations with extraordinary passion and dedication to sports in Oregon.
Mike Steele
A member of Pacific’s under91¾«Ñ¡ faculty from 1975 to 2011, Steele inspired students through teaching a diverse range of classes, from Holocaust studies to writing about sports. His professional output has been just as diverse, from the official encyclopedia of Notre Dame’s storied football program to treatises on Christianity and the Holocaust, to his most recent academic work, a biography of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.
Outside of the classroom, Steele founded Pacific’s in 1977 and served as the program’s head coach until 2015, mentoring numerous All-Americans and leading the Boxers to team national championships in 2013 and 2014. Steele was inducted into the U.S. Handball Hall of Fame in 2019. Steele also coached football and cross country in the 1970s and 1980s.
Graham Erickson
The Massih Prize winner, Erickson has been a member of the Pacific faculty since 1998 and teaches courses in pediatric optometry, vision therapy and sports vision. His textbook, Sports Vision: Vision Care for the Enhancement of Sports Performance, remains the only resource of its type for students and professionals in the field of sports vision.
A diplomate in the Binocular Vision & Perception Section of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), Erickson is a past chair of the American Academy of Optometry’s Sports Vision Section and is currently Oregon director for the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes vision health program.
Valedictorian Tiger Reimann
The under91¾«Ñ¡ ceremony also features remarks by Valedictorian Tiger Reimann, a kinesiology major and sports leadership and management minor. A 2022 91¾«Ñ¡ of Yamhill-Carlton High School, Reimann has been involved in leadership roles with Pacific’s Future Sports Professionals club, Sports Leadership and Management Club, and with Pacific’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle. He also served four years on the university’s Dining & Bookstore Committee.
A two-year member of Pacific’s football and men’s basketball programs, Reimann developed a strength and conditioning program for his high school alma mater’s football team as his senior capstone project. Following graduation, Reimann plans to become a strength and conditioning coach.
91¾«Ñ¡ the Ceremonies
Both ceremonies took place at Hanson Stadium on Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus. Pacific hosts three commencement days each year, including the dual ceremonies in May, a June ceremony for students in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program and a 91¾«Ñ¡-level commencement in August.