Storrs

- Rebecca Lobo didn't attend her University of Connecticut commencement in 1995 because she was trying out for the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, a squad that would go on to take gold in Atlanta's 1996 Summer Games.

”I must admit I don't remember a single word of my commencement speaker,” said Lobo, now a university trustee, during her punchline-filled address at Sunday's commencement of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

”It's not because my commencement speaker was Michael Bolton. It's because … I didn't attend,” Lobo said to a packed Gampel Pavilion.“So I feel like a honorary member of the Class of '08.”

Lobo's address capped what university officials called a“gala weekend” in which 11 of the university's 14 schools and colleges staged graduation ceremonies for nearly 7,000 students at all levels. It was the first year that the university has held separate ceremonies for each school and college.

”Our student population has outgrown the dual ceremonies we've held in Gampel Pavilion in the past,” Commencement Committee Chairman Michael Darre had said in a press release.

For the 2007-08 academic year, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alone awarded degrees to more than 2,400 students, nearly 300 more than were awarded last year, according to the university.

”Holding individual ceremonies in different locations has been successful at a number of other universities,” Darre said.“It's much more intimate, especially for the smaller schools,”

But Sunday's ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences saw more than 2,000 students - the largest graduating class in the college's history - file into the pavilion's court-side risers, a process that delayed the scheduled 4 p.m. commencement by a half hour.

By 4:10, two beach balls had appeared and were batted above the rows of black, capped-and-gowned students until confiscated by faculty. Husky chants were also shouted across the stage to kill time before a fanfare of trumpets started the march of faculty onto the pavilion floor.

”Today, we answered the age-old question: What happens when you throw a party and everyone comes?” said university President Michael J. Hogan, who promised the students that their diploma procession“will be the last line you will have to stand in at the University of Connecticut.”

The remarks of college faculty were brief, allowing Lobo, a women's basketball commentator for CBS and ESPN, to take center stage in a“funny hat” that she joked made her 6-foot-5.

The theme of Lobo's speech was a 6-foot sixth-grader's“ridiculous dream” to play professional basketball, but her frequent one-liners were the most well-received.

She said the University of Connecticut was the last of the many colleges her mother wanted her to select.

”My mother … pulled me aside and said, 'Don't you know that UConn is a safety school?'” Lobo recalled.

She said that her father's grades didn't get him to his junior year at Connecticut.

”I like to remind him that I was Phi Beta Kappa, and he was I Tappa Kegga,” she said.

Lobo set up another joke by mentioning an opportunity shortly after college graduation to go jogging with then-President Bill Clinton.

”When we were done running, two other sweaty joggers and I rode back to the White House with the president in his limousine,” Lobo said.“Halfway through this 15-minute ride I realized: This can't look good because we were all sweaty and all the windows were fogged up.”

And Lobo transformed what initially sounded like a commencement cliché into this zinger:“I hope to raise my daughters to believe they can be anything they want to be - well, anything except a Yankee fan,” she said.

When the mixed chorus of cheers and boos subsided, Lobo said,“My husband owes me five bucks; I told him I could get booed in Gampel Pavilion.”

k.dale@theday.com

UConn graduates from eastern Connecticut

Baltic: Heather Rose Terluk, Krystine Alicia Conde.

Bozrah: Amber M. Lippy, William Arthur O'Hara.

Brooklyn: Ryan C. Berris, Elizabeth Marion Turner, Derek Bradford Engel, Joseph Andrew Grandelski, Ryan Patrick O'Connor, Nicole Marie Smith, Michael Slater Teed, Halley Rose Welz, Michael R. Wimmer, Dominick Mantoni, Heather Lynn Field, Elaine G. Marcheterre, Jacqueline Armstrong Norman, Amanda Marie Sabourin.

Canterbury: Justin M. Forsyth, Wayne David Richardson, Jeremy Mark Useted, Todd Joseph Schuman, Katryna Rae Minski, Lauren Ashley Scarlata, Andrew John Hatt, William Michael Pirt, Lauren Ashley Scarlata, Cassandra Jo Sullivan.

Chaplin: Krista Mantoni, Tiffany Whall Smith.

Colchester: Danielle M. Demar, Joshua Bryan King, Andrew J. Matthess, Adam Robert Brothers, Rebecca Jean Watson, Erin O'Marra Wissler, Rebecca Elizabeth McKnight, Teresa J. Phillips, Kyle G. Felciano, Jesse Coleman Dresser, Robert Joseph Gozzo, Katharine Leigh Loomis, Karan J. Patel, Aaron Andrew Spearin, David Andrew Potamianos, Katharine Leigh Loomis, Michael John Jacoby, John E. Ackley, Lindsey Lee Donbavand, Melissa Joyce Blesso, Melissa Lynn Goodwin, Kendra T. Wallace, Rebecca Jean Watson, Kimberly Lynn Willis, Alok Vijay Mehta, Emanuele John Langella III, Erin Katherine Mizla .

Dayville: Jeffrey Stephen Gagnon .

Deep River: Mary Katherine Starr, Michael Ronald L'Italien, Corey Anne Alexa, Meghan Elizabeth Barry, Sarah Jean Coe, Eric Lee Knudsen, Jennifer Diane Rivera.

East Haddam: James Ullrich Iacovelli, Halley Lynne Robinson, Anthony Joseph Wasley, Kristin Lee Roberts, William E. Abbott, Shannon Devone Hass, Colleen Marie Chambers, Jennifer Nichole Pawlow, Agnieszka Romanowska, Bradford Jon Sabean.

Gales Ferry: Ted Daniel Schultz, Jack P. Jolly, Richard Thomas Overholt, Roy E. Behymer, Jacob George Marcek, Amanda Marie Pezzullo, Leah C. Krieger, Heather Nicole Worth, Robert Michael Clark, Heather Marie Huebner, Ashley Elizabeth Jensen, Jennifer Lynn Lundie, Joseph Michael Mireles, Rebecca Shelby Rabon, Christopher James Shea, Jaclyn Faith Sheltry, Kyle Matthew Sweet, Heather Nicole Worth, Sharon H. Weiss, Marie Kowalski Bossardet.

Griswold: Laura A. Munro, Brandon W. Van Hoesen, Samantha Robin Harrigan, Brittany Rose Wilczek .

Groton: Scott Ackley, Tracy Anne Harrington, Ashley Lynn Swafford, Robert Joseph LoPresti Wilson, Ryan Dale Apicelli, Lisa J. Sinopoli, Daniel Joseph Terminesi, Amanda Lori Bowser, Jessica Kristina Brown, Laura Beeney Cotto, Crystal Lynn Huntoon, Allan Joseph Hutchins, Mikhail Victorovich Liachenko, Jeffrey Michael Martin Jr., Joshua M. Moon, Gina M. Ralph, Sharayah Denise Weir, Jeremy W. Alina, Katie B. Doolittle, Helen R. Nelson, James Michael Ungvary, Bernard S. Nasser Jr., Stephanie Nicole Greaney, Dessini J. Miller, Nelson E. Quinones Jr., Rebecca Rachel Alsept, Michael Joseph Zenowitz .

Haddam: Anne Elizabeth Falbowski, Felicia L. Ramsey .

Jewett City: Nicole Rebecca Ninteau, Keyla Marie Torres, Marta Kruger .

Killingworth: Jennifer Rose Hood, Mark Wakefield Lehane, Joshua Ryan Davis, Daryl Kathleen Zules .

Ledyard: Michelle Renee Barnett, Samantha Ann Kuhse, Nicole Elise Newman, Douglas Robert Anderson, Tri Quang Le, Amy K. Lozier, Tracy Lynn Albanese, Thomas P. Cross Jr., Neil Thomas Bajorin, Thomas P. Cross Jr., Sarah Patricia Ross, Jonathan W. Ahlcrona .

Lisbon: Patrick Malachi Newkirk, Jonathan Thomas Restivo, Katelyn Marie Stockford, Britney Virginia Teper .

Lyme: Shifa Rafiq Chaudhry, Hana Rafiq Chaudhry, Alexandra Claire Mooney .

Montville: Patrick M. McGowan, Earl D. Cooper .

Moosup: Jonathan Edward Hermonot, Brandon Keith Nadeau .

Mystic: Jessica Marie Maloney, Catherine T. Gregory, Deborah A. Macintosh, Tanya Lee Wenke, Christopher P. Elliott, Sean Joseph Berg, Marc Kallinen, Elizabeth Claire Kingsland, Arminta Marie Patterson, Michael Ryan Perrotta, Lindsey C. Wolter, Carl Michael Brecht, Laura E. Hainline, Shannon Leigh Hicks, Lauren Mary Kallinen, James Joseph Steffes, Edwin Fabian Bolaos, Nicola M. H. Ricker, William Holloway Taylor, Susan Beth Corallino.

North Franklin: Danitza Y. Nall.

New London: Patrick Vincent Fraser, Ryan K. Connolly, Timothy M. Enos, Timothy McCourt Grimes, David Michael McIntyre, Olga Solovyova, Dylan John Wardwell, Jennifer Anne Deeter, Matthew D. Robinson, William Paul Tuttle, Georgia A. McLeary, Yolanda Christine Sousa, Christopher Cardoni, Nicole Antasia Ramos, Brian J. DeGrafft.

Niantic: Benjamin Escobedo, Paul Michael Raimondi, Thanouthong Soulignavong, Eric S. Kuntz, Jeffrey Joseph Legg, Christopher Michael Antoszek, Erik David Choisy, Trent Aaron Gerbers, Christopher Bruce Parks, Jessica Clarke Dunican, Lydia Anne Harshman, Paul J. Rovero, Jenna Brayton Whewell, Adam Keith McGuire, Stephen Joseph Odell.

Noank: Timothy Patrick Andriks, Benjamin Russell Baller.

Norfolk: Brian Joseph Lasko, Jonathan Douglas Gollan.

North Franklin: Danielle Elizabeth Jewett.

North Stonington: Priti Jayant Patel, Priti Jayant Patel, Nicole Marie Byassee, Paul Stuart DeGoursey, Carrie Noel Gavitt, Denise R. Murphy.

Norwich: Justin Bryan Quinn, Heng Xin Chen, Shonrael P. Lanier, Cassandre Ortiz, Andrea Noel Hasselbacher, Lindsey Elizabeth Adams, Melanie Frances Sanborn, Emily Ann Fournier, Mark J. Gillis, Kelsey L. Mussler, Eric Robert Rubega, Heather Lyn Abele, Megen Ann Ainslie, Zachary Jude Clark, Molly Rebecca Cooper, Daniel Lee Cornelious Jr., Emily Ann Fournier, Shannon Woods Heist, Kory James Iovino, Elie Isaac, Stephanie Michelle Juber, Kristley M. Marvin, Erica Nicole Ouellette, Chi Kin Tang, Jaclyn Nicole Vanase, Mingshan Zheng, Rushikumar Jagdishchandra Bhatt, Roua Z. Taha, Kylie Patrice Greika, Julie Ann Handleman, Tanya L. West, Jamie Ray Beever, Alex Pak-Hei Hau, Natalia Monique Machado, Meghan Ellise O'Neil.

Oakdale: Ashley Elizabeth Gaedt, Scott Thomas Conn, Esteban Garcia, Michael William Jurczik, Timothy David Bleasdale, Edward Lawrence Podojil, Stephanie Lynn Shabanowitz, Shannon Marie Verissimo, Heather L. Pike, Barbara Ruth Bauer.

Old Lyme: Stephanie Ann Slezycki, Nicole Sawyer Littell, Marybeth Fafalla, Kate Maria Lennard, Elizabeth Marie Tyler, Ryan Paul Whitley, Carleton John Birk, Matthew Aaron Rice, Sarah Katherine LeMotte, Renee Elizabeth Parker, James E. Case.

Old Saybrook: Gregory R. Smith, Iain Dimond, Bryan Scott Pantages, Bryan Patrick Conway, Julie Ellen Holub, Nathan J. Maltezos, Bryan Scott Pantages, Gary David Parkosewich, Joanna Spacir, Joy C. Bylan, Danielle Marie Zemienieski, Meagan Marie Cowell.

Pawcatuck: Tristan James Kading, Cathleen N. Bingham, Carl R. Nettleton, Briana Rosenberg, Amy Arruda, Katherine Ellen Banker, Matthew T. Allen, Stephen Michael Castaldi, Allison M. Haines.

Plainfield: Christina Dalal Khalil.

Pomfret: Michael Andrew Champ, Megan Elizabeth Szela, Kristine Ann MacDonald, Kalin Marie Borner, Jillian Ann Daviau, William Joseph Purcell, Jesse Robert Ball, Ashley Christine Brock, James E. Dempsey, Robert James Morton, Matthew Gregory Ravenelle, Justine Polixeni Argeris, Alissa Michelle Becker, Kristine Noel Person .

Preston: Amy Lynn Jancewicz, Matthew J. Pearson, Matthew J. Pearson, Lori Ann Smogowicz, Katherine Liss, Jeremy David Curtis, Eric George Mattern, Gerald Carlisle Watkins III, Marjan Susan Zanjani, Brian Edward Shea, Caroline Isabella Church-Reed.

Quaker Hill: Benjamin Alexander Simon, Jessica Lynn Chappell, Amanda Lynn Dunbar, Jack Julien Darras.

Salem: Margaret Emily Hayn, Colleen Erin Huhn, Tristan Anthony Korb, Joshua Franco, Louis Edward Allen.

Stonington: Lauren Jenna Tasca, Sean Patrick McLaughlin, Julia A. Giramonti, Nathan Tristin Adams, Joseph Walter St.Rock IV, Jessica Lynn Nardone, Catherine Gertrude Dzilenski, Laura Nicole Yolen .

Uncasville: Heather Marie Faulkner, Toni Anne DiCioccio, Boris Eduardo Nunez, Jennifer Rose Rahusen, Albert Zygmunt Czachor, Chadene Renae Zack, Tiffany Mae Bearse, Jessie Rose Bordeleau .

Voluntown: Rebekah Jean Musser, Briana Renee Brouillard, Shannon C. McClelland .

Yantic: Meghan Marie Burns, Graham Richard Gimbert.

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