Jim Voss, 1972 graduate and former NASA astronaut, will be sharing a lifetime of wisdom and experience with the class of 2014 Saturday, Dec. 13.
"Jim was an astronaut of the shuttle era when there was more science in that program than there had been in earlier programs," said James R. Hansen, aerospace history professor and author of the Neil Armstrong biography "First Man." "He's an engineer and his passion was for flying, like most astronauts. They come from a background in aviation and, through their engineering work, Auburn's had an outstanding aerospace engineering program."
Voss grew up in Opelika before coming to Auburn, where he studied aerospace engineering while in ROTC.
A mission specialist on board the space shuttles Atlantis, Endeavor and Discovery, Voss conducted experiments inside and outside of the International Space Station.
After retiring from the NASA astronaut program, Voss started a second career as a teacher, even instructing a few aerospace engineering classes at Auburn, Hansen said.
Hansen said he suspects Voss, his friend and former colleague, will focus on the importance of education in his speech.
"Auburn is still a part of his life," Hansen said. "He clearly has a message about a boy who grew up in Opelika, Alabama, who dreams of going into space and gets to go to the International Space Station. There will be an emphasis on education. Without Auburn, Jim Voss wouldn't have become an engineer, wouldn't have become an astronaut. Just what Auburn did for him in terms of education, maturing and becoming a professional."
In the past, Tim Jackson, Bo Jackson and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey have shared their experience and wisdom with graduating students.
Director of Campus and Community Events Teresa Whitman-McCall said the graduation committee looks for someone who can provide a charge of action for the graduating students.
"A large majority of our graduates are about to walk into a job for the first time and some are still looking," Whitman-McCall said. "More than anything, we just want them to offer up that great piece of advice that perhaps they got when they were at Auburn, or in their lifetime, that would inspire that graduate to become an even greater person than they already are."
Commencement speakers are compensated for travel expenses through the graduation committee, but the figure for Voss' trip is unavailable, Whitman-McCall said.
"The trend is to get a graduate that's done something people can appreciate," said Jackson Pruett, SGA executive vice president of initiatives and senior in political science. "An Auburn man or woman sharing their experiences from the University. Someone who's very accomplished and has a unique background that's going to provide share some wisdom for these recent graduates."
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