Spring Commencement Set for May 12
About 475 students will participate in the Spring Commencement for Fairmont State
University, including Pierpont Community & Technical College, which begins at 10 a.m.
Saturday, May 12, at the Feaster Center. A reception in the Falcon Center will immediately
follow the ceremony.
Jim Ashton, a Fairmont State alumnus and Division CEO for SunGuard, will serve as
the speaker for the event. Also during the ceremony, Haddon Joseph and Martha F. Rhodes
will be presented with the Presidential Award for Service.
A 1980 graduate of Fairmont State College with a bachelor's degree in business administration,
Ashton was a letterman in both football and baseball.
He has executive management responsibility for much of SunGard's financial services
software business. As Division CEO, he has oversight responsibility for a $1.2 billion
global segment with over 5,500 employees operating in over 50 countries. He focuses
on business strategy, acquisitions and operational excellence and has overall responsibility
for the Division's growth and profitability.
Ashton has held senior management positions within SunGard and at Premier Solutions
Inc., a Safeguard Scientifics technology company that was acquired by SunGard in 1997.
Under his leadership, Premier's client base grew to include some of the world's most
prestigious banks and financial institutions. He began his career at EDS where he
held various technical, sales and managerial positions over a span of 10 years.
