More than 2,100 students are candidates for degrees and more than 1,300 are expected to participate in New Mexico State University’s spring 2008 commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday, May 10 at the Pan American Center. Tickets are not required. The Pan American Center will open an hour before each ceremony.

The morning program will include candidates for degrees from the Colleges of Agriculture and Home Economics, Business, Engineering, Extended Learning and graduate students with degrees from these colleges.

The afternoon program will include candidates for degrees from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Health and Social Services and graduate students with degrees from these colleges.

Ed and Harold Foreman will receive honorary degrees from NMSU during the commencement ceremony. The Foreman brothers both earned degrees in civil engineering from NMSU.

Both Foreman brothers have been great supporters and friends of the NMSU Department of Civil Engineering for many years. They are members of the Civil Engineering Academy at NMSU, an honorary group that also provides advice and direction for the department.

In 2005, Ed and Harold Foreman made a $1.5 million gift to the College of Engineering. The gift established two professorships and one endowed chair in civil engineering. The gift, along with their annual contributions to NMSU, helps recruit and retain highly qualified faculty members and students.
Ed Foreman graduated in 1955. He also served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force.

As an enterprising oilfield hand on a drilling rig in west Texas, Ed Foreman launched a highly successful petroleum-related business. His unique and innovative idea to utilize an oilfield waste product for drilling oil and gas wells faster and safer made him a millionaire by the age of 26.

He was elected to represent Texas in the U.S. Congress at 28. Seven years later, he was elected as a Congressman from New Mexico. He is the only person in more than 150 years to be elected to the United States Congress from two different states.

Today, Ed is one of the country’s top motivational speakers. He developed numerous programs and products and persuasively teaches the success formula he lives by.

Harold Foreman graduated from NMSU in 1961. He was selected as one of the top 100 alumni from the NMSU College of Engineering in 1988.

Harold’s career began in construction and then real estate brokerage and management. Today he is the president and co-owner of Valley Leasing and Development, Inc., a property management and asset holding company.

In 1984, Harold was elected to represent Dona Ana County in the New Mexico State Senate. He served eight years while actively participating on the Legislative Finance and Education committees. He retired from the Senate in 1992.

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Photo is available at
http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/foreman_ed.jpg
CUTLINE: Ed Foreman. (Submitted photo)

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Photo is available at
http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/foreman_harold.jpg
CUTLINE: Harold Foreman. (Submitted photo)

Justin Bannister
May 2, 2008

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