Briar Cliff University Media Announcement

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Briar Cliff University graduation candidates Deborah Murphy, of Richardson, Texas, and Shana Spier, of Sioux City, have been chosen to address their peers during the University’s 78^th commencement on Saturday, May 9, 2009, at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.

Murphy, a traditional student, and Spier, a continuing education student, were chosen by a panel of faculty members and students to be keynote speakers at the ceremony.

A candidate for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in history and secondary education, Murphy’s speech will emphasize the importance of taking responsibility for the world around us.

“We say someone else will do it,” Murphy said. “However, Briar Cliff has taught us that it is our responsibility to make the world a better place.”

Anticipating addressing her peers at commencement, she said, “This is a huge honor. I am looking forward to celebrating this wonderful milestone with Briar Cliff faculty, friends and family.”

Murphy’s immediate family members, who live in Richardson, Texas, will be on hand for the event. After graduation, she will teach high school and coach volleyball in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area and plans to attend graduate school.

Spier, a Bachelor of Science degree candidate with a major in business and a minor in human resource management, will deliver her commencement address on how to navigate life’s twists and turns. “Even though life is filled with road blocks and trying times, everyone has the ability to be successful,” said Spier of Sioux City.

Looking forward to delivering her commencement address, she said, “Among the benefits of attending a smaller university, such as Briar Cliff, are the many bonds that are so easily created among faculty and students. At Briar Cliff, you are not a number. People know your name.”

Currently, Spier works fulltime as an office manager and licensed insurance representative. Her future endeavors include banking, economic development and law school. Spier’s immediate family, all of Sioux City, will attend the commencement ceremony.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 24 states and four countries. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care and compassion. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.