April 19, 2006

 LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The University of West Alabama will honor approximately 280 graduates during spring commencement exercises Saturday, May 6, 2006. The ceremony takes place at 10:30 a.m. in Pruitt Gymnasium on the UWA campus, with the Presidential Reception beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Bell Conference Center.  

In addition to the conferring of degrees in the Colleges of Business, Education, Liberal Arts, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Division of Nursing and the School of Graduate Studies, the University will bestow an honorary Doctor of Laws to commencement speaker Terry Spicer from Elba, Ala., a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. President Richard Holland will also announce the William E. Gilbert Award for Outstanding Teaching, given annually at commencement to recognize excellence in classroom instruction at UWA. First awarded in 1984, the Gilbert Award winner is selected by a student committee nominated by the University deans and chosen by the Student Government Association.

Rep. Terry Spicer began his career in the Alabama House of Representatives in 1998 and, since then, has distinguished himself through service on a variety of committees. He serves as Vice Chairperson of the Education Committee and is a member of the Education, Finance and Appropriations Committee. He is also the Chairperson of Personnel Management on the State Government Committee and is a member of the Alabama Workforce Investment Board and the Farm Programs Advisory Committee. 

Spicer is a board member of the Children’s First Trust Fund and serves on the Cardiac Arrest Survival Commission. He was elected Vice Chairman and Chairman Elect of the Southern Legislative Conference Education Committee. On a national level, he serves on the Education Committee for the National Conference on State Legislatures.

Several groups have recognized Spicer for his noteworthy service. In 1999, he was nominated for the Public Health Hero Award, which is presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Alabama Electric Cities recognized Spicer for sponsoring fiber-optic legislation, and during the 2000 legislative session, he received the Alabama State Employees Association Executive Director’s Award.

In 2002, Spicer was recognized by the Coffee County Commission for his dedicated service to the people of Coffee County. He was also honored for his efforts in establishing multiple senior citizen centers and obtaining funding for highway projects and for his support for county government legislation. Later that same year, the Elba Chamber of Commerce recognized him with the President’s Award for his legislative service and economic development initiatives.  Also in 2002, he received the Jim Albright Leadership Award from the Wiregrass Labor Council.

In March 2005, Spicer was named the Alabama Community Educator Association’s Outstanding Benefactor. In April 2006, he was selected as Alabama Electric Rural Association’s Representative of the Year.

After graduating from Elba High School in 1983, Terry Spicer earned a diploma in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration from Douglas MacArthur State Technical College. He operated Spicer Heating and Cooling for 12 years. He also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Education from Athens State College in Athens, Ala., and a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery. In addition to serving in the House of Representatives, Spicer is Assistant to the President for Economic and Community Development at Enterprise-Ozark Community College. He resides in Elba with his wife, Ceina Hayes, and their two sons, Hayes and J. Cole.

Guests must have tickets, which are available from graduates, to attend the ceremony in Pruitt Gym. Overflow seating to watch the commencement exercises will be available in Bibb Graves Auditorium and the Bell Conference Center.