Gen. Odierno To Deliver NC State’s Fall Commencement Address

General Raymond T. Odierno, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), will deliver NC State’s commencement address on Saturday, Dec. 18, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.

During the ceremony, Chancellor Randy Woodson will confer honorary degrees on behalf of NC State to Odierno and Dr. Deanna Bowling Marcum, associate librarian with the Library of Congress.

Odierno oversees UFJFCOM’s roles in joint concept development and experimentation, joint capability development, joint training, and force provisions and management as outlined in the Department of Defense’s Unified Command Plan. Prior to assuming his current duties, Odierno most recently commanded Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) and then U.S. Forces-Iraq from September 2008 to September 2010. He oversaw the transition from surge to stability operations and directed the largest redeployment of forces and equipment in 40 years. He assumed command of MNF-I less than seven months after completing a 15-month deployment with III Corps as commanding general of Multi-National Corps-Iraq from December 2006 to February 2008.

During more than 34 years of service, he commanded units at every echelon, from platoon to theater, with duty in Germany, Albania, Kuwait, Iraq and the United States. After his first assignment with U.S. Army Europe, Odierno was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he commanded two batteries and served as a battalion operations officer.

Odierno’s awards and decorations include three Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, six Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. He has also received the highest award in the State Department – the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal. He is the 2009 recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award for his strategic leadership and insight.

A native of New Jersey, Odierno graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1976 with a commission in field artillery and a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He received master’s degrees in nuclear effects engineering and national security and strategy from North Carolina State University and the Naval War College, respectively. He also is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. Odierno will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.

Dr. Deanna Bowling Marcum is the associate librarian for library services with the Library of Congress. She manages 53 divisions and offices whose more than 1,800 employees are responsible for acquisitions, cataloging, public service and preservation activities; services to the blind and physically handicapped; and network and bibliographic standards for America’s national library. Marcum is also responsible for integrating the emerging digital resources into the traditional artifactual library – the first step toward building a national digital library for the 21st century. In 1995, Marcum was appointed president of the Council on Library Resources and president of the Commission on Preservation and Access.  She oversaw the merger of these two organizations into the Council on Library and Information Resources in 1997, and served as president until 2003. Marcum holds a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in library science from the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Illinois. She will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

German industrial designer, Richard Sapper, is one of the world’s most influential designers. He has received numerous international design awards, including 10 prestigious Compasso d’Oro industrial design awards, and 15 of his products are in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) collection. Sapper was a design consultant to Fiat, Pirelli and IBM. For IBM, Sapper designed the Thinkpad laptop line. Over the years, he has developed several extremely innovative designs for furnishings, lamps and electrical appliances. Sapper has been a visiting lecturer at numerous institutions and, since 1986, a professor at Stuttgart Art Academy.  He studied economics at the University of Munich. Sapper will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

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