Media contact:
Pat Lopes Harris, pat.harris@sjsu.edu, 408-924-1748

SAN JOSE, CA – Distinguished graduates whose lives and significant achievements serve as examples to our students will be honored during Commencement, beginning at 9:30 a.m. May 24 in Spartan Stadium.

More than 8,500 candidates who completed their studies in August 2013, December 2013 and May 2014 will be eligible to participate in the annual ceremony.

Nancy McFadden, ’84 Political Science

Nancy McFadden, ’84 Political Science

Nancy McFadden, ’84 Political Science, will serve as Commencement speaker and receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws. She worked as a senior administration official for President Clinton and two California governors.  

“Nancy McFadden worked hard to earn positions at the highest levels of public service, always giving back to the communities she calls home,” President Mohammad Qayoumi said.

The late William Hauck, ’63 Social Science, will receive a posthumous honorary Doctorate of Laws. Hauck worked in senior positions for Governor Wilson and three Assembly speakers.

“Rising from student body president to top leadership roles in Sacramento, Bill Hauck was a lifelong supporter of our students and our mission,” President Qayoumi said.

Nancy McFadden

A Bay Area native, McFadden attended law school at the University of Virginia. Prior to her current appointment as executive secretary for legislation, appointments, and policy to Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., she held multiple executive positions within PG&E Corporation, including senior vice president and senior advisor to the chairman and CEO, and senior vice president of public affairs.

William Hauck, ’63 Social Science

William Hauck, ’63 Social Science

McFadden spent nearly two decades serving as political and policy advisor to California Governor Gray Davis and as a senior member of the Clinton administration.

She is a member of the board of trustees for The California Museum and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and serves on numerous boards for social and environmental organizations.

William Hauck

A prominent figure in the California Capitol for decades, Hauck worked in senior positions for three Democratic Assembly speakers—Jesse Unruh, Bob Moretti and Willie Brown. He was also deputy chief of staff to Governor Pete Wilson and a trusted adviser to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hauck joined Goddard Claussen/West as senior advisor in late 2011. From 1996 to 2011, he served as president and CEO of the California Business Roundtable, a leading public policy advocacy association.

Hauck served on the board of Blue Shield of California. He also contributed generously to an annual CSU trustee scholarship that benefits San Jose State students who have overcome great obstacles.

San Jose State University — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 3,850 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.