Former Oregon State University President Ed Ray will give a virtual commencement speech for the Corvallis campus on June 12, the university announced Wednesday.
Ray was the scheduled commencement speaker for 2020, but the ceremony was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were disappointed that last year’s commencement ceremony was canceled and that former President Ray wasn’t able to speak to our graduates,” Edward Feser, acting OSU president, said in the Wednesday news release. “But we are thrilled to be able to recognize his strong bond with students and his commitment to providing affordable and equitable access to a college education during this year’s ceremony.”
Ray, currently OSU’s president emeritus, was president of the university for 17 years from 2003 until mid-2020.
Ray established the Survivor Advocacy and Resource Center in 2015 in response to gender-based violence at OSU, as well as the offices of Institutional Diversity and Equal Opportunity and Access in 2017.
OSU-Cascades in Bend will hold a separate virtual commencement ceremony on June 13.
Article was originally published by the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
