An alumna who spent more than 50 years as an educator, administrator and mentor will address University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduates and their families at the winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Barbara Hickman of Beloit will speak to more than 650 graduates who have earned associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in the UW-Stevens Point Health Enhancement Center. Guests may park in any campus lot (for free) except Lot F West, which will be used for handicap access.
The student speaker will be Amy Vida, a family and consumer science education and English graduate from Slinger. Chancellor Bernie Patterson will give the welcome and charge to the graduates. The new alumni will be welcomed by Jim and Patti Anderson, alumni from Stevens Point.
Choral music education graduate Christine Kue of Stevens Point will sing the national anthem and UW-Stevens Point's alma mater. She will be accompanied by the UW-Stevens Point Band.
Hickman is a 1960 graduate of UW-Stevens Point, where she earned an elementary education degree. Her first teaching position was at the Beloit elementary school that she attended. She taught in several other schools before becoming the Title 1 director for the Beloit School District. She earned a master's degree at UW-Whitewater then served as a principal for more than 20 years.
After an initial retirement, Hickman returned to work as a coordinator of orientation and in-service staff programs at Kolak Education Center. She was also a mentor at Beloit High School, where she encouraged minority students to discover their talents and seek opportunities in higher education. She retired again in 2012, but has remained active in her community. She returned to UW-Stevens Point in 2014 as a speaker for the Black Student Union's Soul Food Dinner.
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