Noted translator to deliver commencement address

commencement med

Dr. Etilvia Arjona Chang

Winter commencement ceremonies at Northwest Missouri State University will take place at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, in Bearcat Arena. Doors open at noon. Tickets are not required for admission.

About 200 students from Northwest's three colleges are expected to receive bachelor's degrees. Another 50 candidates will receive master's degrees or education specialist degrees through the University's Graduate School.

Candidates for graduation may pick up caps and gowns at the Student Services Center on the first floor of the Administration Building from 8:30-4:30 p.m. Dec. 10-13. Caps and gowns will be available for pick-up on Dec. 14 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Complete details about winter commencement at Northwest are posted on the Senior Spot Web site (www.nwmissouri.edu/seniorspot).

This year's commencement speaker is Dr. Etilvia Arjona Chang, who serves as director of the EducationUSA Advising Center at Santa María Catholic University (USMA) in Panama, where she is also director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

EducationUSA is a global network of more than 450 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Its primary mission is to advise international students about opportunities in U.S. higher education.

Arjona Chang earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University's School of Education, where she conducted research on the design and evaluation of educational programs related to language translation and interpretation.

She holds a diploma in translation (English, Spanish and French) from the University of Geneva's School of Interpreters in Switzerland and a post-graduate certificate from the State University of Mons, Belgium.

An honorary professor at USMA, Arjona Chang is a member of the Central American Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education.

She has worked widely as a consultant and served as an advisor to two first ladies of the Republic of Panama, the Honorable Ruby Moscoso de Young and the Honorable Dora Boyd de Pérez Balladares.

In 2005, Arjona Chang received the Jean François Caillé Medal from the Fédération Internationale de Traducteurs (International Federation of Translators), a UNESCO body, for exceptional international contributions to the status of the translation and interpretation profession.

During her career, Arjona Chang has played a key role in shaping translation and interpretation education programs at a number of colleges and universities, including Florida International University, the University of Texas, San Diego State University, the New Jersey higher education system and the Universidad de Las Américas in Mexico.

She has an extensive record as an advocate for her profession and has assisted in the founding and development of translation and interpretation associations in many countries, including her native Panama.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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