Moraine Valley to hold 39th annual commencement ceremony
May 9, 2008

Moraine Valley Community College’s 39th annual commencement ceremony will honor summer 2007, fall 2007, and spring 2008 graduates on Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. in the college’s gymnasium, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Approximately 400 of the college’s 1,671 eligible graduates are expected to participate in the ceremony.

The Honorable Judge Robert Freitag will give the commencement address. Judge Freitag is an associate circuit court judge in Illinois’ McLean County and Moraine Valley’s 2008 Distinguished Alumnus. He graduated from Moraine Valley in 1981, earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from Illinois State University in 1984, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1987. He is a member of the Illinois Judge’s Association, McLean County Bar Association, and the American Inns of Court—Robert Underwood Chapter. He is running for full-circuit judge in the November election.

Judge Freitag also is a major in the U.S. Army reserves and served a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq, where he oversaw detainees, including Saddam Hussein, at Abu Ghraib. He received the U.S. Army Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his volunteer work outside of the military. He also sits on the Illinois State University Alumni Association Board and was awarded the Illinois State Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2000. He is a volunteer firefighter/EMT for the village of Carlock, a youth softball coach and umpire, and a scoutmaster for Cub Scout Pack 44. He also is co-owner of a midget race car team, Car 54.

Professor of the Year J.C. Malitzke, professor of Mechanical Design Drafting/CAD and department chair of Computer-Integrated Technologies, will preside over the ceremony as grand marshal. Malitzke, who earned a bachelor of arts and a master of arts from Illinois State University, has been teaching at Moraine Valley for more than 20 years. In addition to his teaching duties, he is recognized as one of the country’s top trainers in Autodesk computer-assisted-design software. He has led the development of 20 new or revised associate degrees or certificates, was one of the first professors in the country to use smart classroom solutions, is the co-author and principal investigator for two National Science Foundation grants, and has coordinated the Illinois Drafting Educators regional high school drafting/CAD competition for the past 12 years. He has been instrumental in securing more than 50 national CAD industry training awards for the college and has personally won awards from IBM, Autodesk, and Moraine Valley.

Speaking on behalf of the graduating class will be William Obuchowski, of Oak Lawn, recipient of the 2008 Moraine Valley Student Leadership Award and a cum laude graduate. Obuchowski represented his fellow students on campus this past year as the student trustee and at the state level as a member of student advisory boards for the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education. He has been elected the executive chairman for the Illinois Board Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee. He serves on the executive board of the Student Government Association and as vice president of Fellowship for Phi Theta Kappa honor society. He founded and presided over the Engineering Club and is a member of the Student Ambassador Club. Obuchowski is a member of the Moraine Valley Honors Program and was nominated to the All-Illinois Academic team. He has served on the Reducing Textbook Taskforce, Campus Expansion Committee, Student E-mail Committee, and the Sustainability Team. Obuchowski was a guest speaker at the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators’ Leadership and Core Values Institute and presented at Moraine Valley’s Learning College Day. He plans to attend Judson University, where he will study business.

Also addressing this year’s graduates will be Dr. Vernon O. Crawley, college president, and Joseph P. Murphy, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

For news media inquiries, call Jessica Crotty, College and Community Relations coordinator, at (708) 974-5281, or e-mail her at crotty@morainevalley.edu.