Warner College of Natural Resources Commencement

December 15, 2023

Order of Ceremony

Processional ¹ – Big Thompson Brass

National Anthem ² – Madelynn Flanagan

Introduction of Platform Party – Dr. Monique Rocca

Opening Remarks – Dean A. Alonso Aguirre

Commencement Address – Emily R. White Hat

Recognition of Honors Program Graduates and Honorary Society Initiates – Dr. Rickey Frierson

Recognition of Commissioned Graduates – LTC Matthew Tillman

Charge to the Class and Conferring of Degrees – President Amy Parsons

Awarding of Diplomas – Dean Aguirre, Rocky Coleman, and Department Representatives

Graduating Senior Address – Katherine S. Nieuwlandt

Closing Remarks – Dean Aguirre

Alma Mater ² – Madelynn Flanagan

Recessional – Big Thompson Brasss

¹ Audience will stand
² Audience may remain seated

On the Platform

Amy Parsons, J.D., President, Colorado State University

Dr. Thomas Siller, Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs

LTC Matthew Tillman, Army ROTC

Dr. A. Alonso Aguirre, Dean, Warner College of Natural Resources

Dr. Monique Rocca, Associate Dean, Warner College of Natural Resources

Emily R. White Hat, J.D., Alumnus, Warner College of Natural Resources

Katherine S. Nieuwlandt, Graduating Senior, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Dr. Rich Conant, Department Head, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Dr. Brett Bruyere, Professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Dr. Eric Toman, Department Head, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

Dr. William Clements, Professor, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

Dr. Rick Aster, Department Head, Geosciences

Dr. Rickey Frierson, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Warner College of Natural Resources

Rocky Coleman, Master Instructor Emeritus

Nicole Stafford, Director, Environmental Learning Center

Dr. John Moore, Director, Natural Resource Ecology Lab

Dr. Kevin Crooks, Director, Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence

Dr. David Anderson, Director, Colorado Natural Heritage Program

Matt McCombs, Director, Colorado State Forest Service

Marshals

Cecilia White, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

Paul Layden, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Dr. Wilfred Previant, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship

Dr. Kaye Holman, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Dr. Lisa Stright, Geosciences

The Mace

The mace, originally a weapon of offense, has long been the insignia of authority. The mace carried in today’s ceremony was presented to Colorado State University by the College of Natural Resources in 1981. The three-and-half-foot black walnut staff, surmounted by a carved rams head, is embellished in silver with the emblems of Colorado State University and the State of Colorado.

Emily R. White Hat, Commencement Speaker

Emily R. White Hat, J.D., (Nape Waste Win, “Good Hand Woman”) Sicangu Lakota, Aske Gluwipi Tiospaye, is the Vice President of Programs at the American Indian College Fund where she supports implementation of place-based programming to strengthen educational opportunities for Native students at tribal colleges and universities.

Emily earned a juris doctorate and a natural resources law certificate from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She has a bachelor’s degree in forestry with a concentration in fire science and a minor in rangeland ecology from Colorado State University, and an associate of arts degree in Lakota history and culture from Sinte Gleska University. Her experiences as a former firefighter, emergency medical technician, policy researcher, and legal background have all been vital to her work in program development and implementation with tribal nations and tribal colleges using a capacity-building approach.

In 2015, Emily was recognized by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development as one of the “Native American 40 Under 40” award recipients.

Emily enjoys quilting, beading, landscaping her yard with native plants, and riding her motorcycle.