For the more than 1,600 candidates for graduation assembled at Lawlor Events Center on a surprisingly pleasant Saturday morning, the 2015 Winter Commencement Ceremony was a time to celebrate and to look ahead.

University President Marc Johnson told the graduating class that their time as students at the University had seen all of them, as well as their institution, transform.

"Over the past few years, as you've broadened your horizons and learned new things, we've transformed along with you," Johnson said, noting that the Class of 2015 had partaken in experiential opportunities that had included service learning in the community, as well as internships and volunteer efforts. "Your time during this transformational moment at our University has given you the necessary tools to anticipate the shifting tides of an increasingly complex and interconnected world."

Guest speaker Amber Joiner, a Nevada State Assemblywoman and a 2000 University graduate who also served as ASUN president, told the graduates that they possessed special talents - talents that the community, the state and the world need.

"We need your skills and hard work in Nevada," she said. "I plan to be here in the future and I hope I will see you here, too. The Pack will always welcome you back."

Luke Tanaka, a Clark High School of Las Vegas graduate and accounting major in the College of Business, was awarded the Herz Gold Medal as the top scholar in the Winter Class of 2015.

Tanaka had a wide-ranging and notable undergraduate career. In addition to his exemplary performance in the classroom, Tanaka participated in Business Student Council and Circle K International, studied abroad in London with the Nevada Global Business Program and represented the College of Business during an Executive Mentorship Program in Seattle.

Tanaka, an Honors Program student, served on the student board of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society chapter and was a career mentor at the Nevada Career Studio. Upon completion of his Certified Public Accountant examination, Tanaka will start his career in public accounting with Pricewaterhouse Coopers in the Las Vegas area in August.

Also honored on Saturday was the longtime Elko County physician, Dr. Hugh S. Collett, who was named a Distinguished Nevadan by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents. Collett, a longtime advocate for higher education in Nevada, was cited by Regent Kevin Melcher for work that had benefitted the quality of health care in the state's rural areas, as well as for Collett's significant contributions in the founding of Great Basin College in Elko.

Representing the Regents, Board Chair Rick Trachok told the Class of 2015 that they would play central roles in the state's economic revitalization. Citing Thoreau, and noting that the members of the Class of 2015 should always do the opposite of people leading lives of "quiet desperation," Trachok told the graduates to always strive to make a difference.

"Nevada needs people like you," he said, "people who have the knowledge and the talent to move us forward, graduates who have the perspective and the energy to help us reach a new economic future, one that is based on the knowledge industry of education.

"We need you more than ever. Become our next generation of leaders ... confidently follow your path."