Several notable awards will be presented during the University's 128th Commencement ceremonies, May 17-19.

They include:

President's Medal: Ken Creighton

After graduating from the University in 1975, Ken Creighton continued his education with a master's from the University of California at Davis in 1978 and a juris doctorate from the University of San Francisco in 1985. Currently Of Counsel at Guild, Gallagher & Fuller, Ltd. law firm, Creighton was formerly vice president and deputy general counsel and assistant secretary for IGT from 1995 to 2014. Prior to IGT, Creighton practiced law with the firm Beckley, Singleton, DeLanoy, Jemison and List. He also served as a deputy attorney general for securities and consumer fraud under Attorney General Brian McKay between 1988 and 1990. Creighton's service to the University includes three consecutive two-year terms as a member of the board of trustees for the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation. He served as vice-chair of the governance committee from 2014-2016 before a term as chair in 2017. During his tenure as chair, Creighton helped the Foundation launch the public phase of the capital campaign "Building What Comes Next: The Campaign for the New Nevada."

Honorary Degree: Stacie Mathewson

Stacie Mathewson's dedication to the cause of addiction awareness and treatment has made an indelible impact on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Mathewson has worked tirelessly to promote addiction awareness, recovery, prevention and education at the local, state and national levels. The Stacie Mathewson Foundation supplied funding to create the Nevada Recovery and Prevention (N-RAP) program on the University campus in 2011. The Stacie Mathewson Foundation also funded the construction of the new Northern Nevada HOPES Stacie Mathewson Community Wellness Center near downtown Reno in 2016. Mathewson founded the nonprofit Doors to Recovery with the mission to remove the shame and stigma surrounding addiction and to build a sustainable system for supporting recovery in northern Nevada. Mathewson founded another nonprofit, Transforming Youth Recovery, to lead the establishment of campus recovery programs. In 2013 Mathewson was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and in 2016, George Washington University awarded her the prestigious Recovery Philanthropist of the Year Award. She has served as a board member of the Betty Ford Foundation since 2012. She is a 2015-2106 inductee in the nation's leading networking organization for professional women, the National Association of Professional Women VIP Woman of the Year Circle.

Honorary Degree: John Farahi

John Farahi, one of the most respected business leaders in Northern Nevada, has also dedicated his more than 40 years in northern Nevada building education, understanding and awareness in the community of the Middle East. Farahi earned his bachelor's degree in political science from California State University Hayward. He spent summers working at the Golden Road Motel, which would eventually become part of what is today Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc., of which Farahi serves as the chief executive officer. Monarch owns both the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno and Monarch Casino Black Hawk in Colorado. Farahi's management has earned him recognition as the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year (Reno Gazette-Journal) and the 2012 Most Respected CEO (Nevada Business Journal). In 2013, Farahi's leadership skills led President Obama to appoint him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council. He has served multiple terms on the Reno Tahoe International Airport Authority Board, and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors' Authority Board of Directors. Farahi has served on the boards of the Nevada Commission on Tourism and the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation. He is founder of the David and Parvin Farahi Jewish Day School in Reno, and has served as chairman of northern Nevada's AIPAC pro-Israel lobby chapter.

Paul and Judy Bible University Teaching Excellence Award: Candice Bauer, Lecturer/Director of Student Affairs and Assessment, College of Engineering

With a diverse background with degrees in mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, education, and engineering management. Bauer has published several papers including topics in heat transfer, micro-electric mechanical systems, nanotechnology, engineering education, and acoustic pyrometry. She is a past ASME Vice President for the Center for Professional Development, Practice, and Ethics. She teaches several junior and senior courses including Engineering Communications, which is a multidisciplinary course focusing on technical writing and presentation skills. Candice has also taught Machine Design, Aerodynamics, and the Senior Capstone Design (specializing in engineering entrepreneurship). In November 2007, Bauer was presented with the ASME Old Guard Early Career Engineer Award for outstanding service, leadership, and accomplishment in ASME, in the profession of academia/teaching, and in the community. In May 2014, Candice won the F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award. In 2015, Candice was recognized as a Woman of Achievement by the Nevada Women's Fund.