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May 5, 2000 JOURNALISTS: Here are two story ideas and a selected Purdue event during the next two weeks. Purdue schedules 4 commencements Ceremonies are scheduled at the West Lafayette campus May 12-14. Approximately 4,900 students – 3,840 of whom are undergraduates – will earn degrees during four ceremonies. Purdue President Steven C. Beering and Thomas J. Carroll, president of the Purdue Alumni Association, will address graduates at each ceremony in Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music. Each ceremony will be for specific schools. Journalists who want to cover the ceremonies will need tickets for the event. CONTACTS: Mike Willis, (765) 494-0371, or Jesica Webb, (765) 494-2079, at the Purdue News Service. The schedule: 8 p.m. Friday, May 12, Schools of Engineering and Education. 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 13, Schools of Agriculture, Consumer and Family Sciences, Science, and Veterinary Medicine. 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Schools of Liberal Arts and Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences. 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 14, Schools of Management and Technology. Beloved professor and mentor retires A member of the Purdue community for 35 years, Martha Chiscon, professor of biological sciences and associate dean of the School of Science, will retire July 31. Chiscon is known as an outstanding teacher dedicated to helping undergraduate students excel. She has served as a role model for young women in science, has worked with the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, and in 1993 was named Indiana Professor of the Year. In 1999 she received Purdue's Violet Haas Award for her efforts on behalf of women in hiring, promotion, education and salary. Chiscon has also worked to coordinate a variety of School of Science efforts, including the Freshman Honors Program. Her plans for retirement include traveling with her husband, who retired from Purdue in 1998, to visit some of the many former students they have stayed in touch with through the years. CONTACT: Martha Chiscon, (765) 494-1729 Event • Friday, May 12.  Weight-y Issues: Obesity and Body Image – Practical Discussions. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Room 218, Stewart Center. This conference on obesity and other weight-related issues is sponsored by the Department of Foods and Nutrition. CONTACT: Marleen Troyer, (765) 494-1340; troyerm@cfs.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page