KENT STATE UNIVERSITY Health-care leader and actor-director to speak

One keynote speaker's papers serve as a cornerstone of a KSU theater collection.
KENT -- A world-renowned Shakespearean actor and a health-care leader will serve as keynote speakers at Kent State University's winter commencement ceremonies Saturday.
Additionally, an emeritus professor of English will be honored for his long service to the university.
Graduates from the College of Communication and Information, College of Education, College of Fine and Professional Arts, and the School of Technology will receive their degrees during a 10 a.m. ceremony, while degrees will be conferred to students from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, and College of Nursing at 2:30 p.m.
Vincent Dowling, best known in northern Ohio for his eight years of leadership with the Great Lakes Theatre Festival, will address the morning graduates. He has played more than 100 major roles.
A native of Dublin, Ireland, Dowling played many of his roles in the Abbey Theatre in his hometown, where he is a lifetime associate director. He has focused much of his creativity in northeast Ohio as producing director of GLTF. Kent State has received his papers as a cornerstone of the American Theatres Collection in the Department of Special Collections and Archives.
Afternoon ceremony
Shawn Ulreich, M.S.N. '90, will deliver the afternoon address. Ulreich, who was the chief nursing officer at the Cleveland Clinic for five years, is now engaged in consulting and teaching in the health-care industry.
While at Cleveland Clinic, Ulreich was responsible for a staff of 2,800, and her leadership helped the clinic reduce registered nurse turnover by 16 percent and increase the hiring of new nurses by 16 percent. Ulreich's career with the clinic spanned 19 years, including several clinical, supervisory and administrative positions.
Also at the afternoon ceremony, Thomas M. Davis, emeritus professor of English, will be presented with a President's Medal. Davis, who came to Kent State in 1969, helped pioneer early American literature as a distinct field of literary study. As the preeminent authority on the American poet Edward Taylor, Davis brought distinction to the Kent State English Department through his intense work on Taylor's manuscripts.
The Kent Campus ceremonies will be in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. No tickets are required for attendance.
Parking is free at all lots, and shuttle buses will run to the MACC.