Norman Augustine to Address Michigan Tech Graduates

Norman Augustine, a leader in both business and government and a powerful advocate for science and engineering education, will address the graduates at Michigan Technological University’s Spring Commencement, on Saturday, April 30.

The University will honor the achievements of nearly 1,000 graduates, including 753 students receiving undergraduate degrees, 156 master's degree recipients and 48 PhD graduates.

Augustine chaired the National Academies committee that authored “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.” The report, presented to Congress in 2005, addresses the role of higher education. In particular, it recommends that the US focus on becoming “the most attractive setting in which to study and perform research so that we can develop, recruit, and retain the best and brightest students, scientists, and engineers from within the United States and throughout the world.”

Augustine was CEO and chairm of Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin until retiring in 1997. He has headed the National Academy of Engineering, the Association of the United States Army, the Aerospace Industries Association, the Defense Science Board, the American Red Cross, and the Boy Scouts of America. In public service, he has been undersecretary and acting secretary of the army.

Among his many honors, Augustine has received the National Medal of Technology from the US president and the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has earned the Department of Defense's highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal, five times.

At commencement, Augustine will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Science and Engineering.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.