August 4, 2005 – Shirley Luna

Honorary Texan to deliver SFA commencement address

An Honorary Texan and Distinguished Honorary Professor of Stephen F. Austin State University will be the commencement speaker Aug. 13 at SFA.

Born in Scotland and educated in Manchester, England, Robert Stephen Ely is president of Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore. He is a graduate of the Manchester Metropolitan University and completed postgraduate studies at the University of Salford. He is completing a doctorate in university governance at Edith Cowan University in Australia.

Originally a consultant engineer and draughtsman, Ely has taught for more than 30 years in schools, colleges and universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. In 1993, he became principal and chief executive of Rose Bruford College in London, the college that, in 1976, was first to offer an acting degree in the United Kingdom. Theatre students at Rose Bruford and SFA have the opportunity to study abroad through an exchange program, which was recognized in the London House of Commons in 1996. According to Dr. Richard Berry, dean of fine arts, the relationship between SFA and Ely is longstanding and important.

"Professor Ely played an invaluable role in establishing our ongoing successful collaborative relationship with Rose Bruford College in London when he was principal of that institution, and we look forward to working with him in the future," Berry said. "We are delighted that he has agreed to speak at the August commencement."

Ely was appointed president of Lasalle-SIA in 2003, and since then, 42 new degrees have been developed, making the institution the largest provider of arts degrees in Asia.

Ely has developed and pioneered applications of the arts for therapeutic programs, including alternative curriculum strategies for Down syndrome adults and for young people excluded from schools for violent behavior. In 1995 he introduced the first distance learning degrees in opera and theatre arts delivered from the United Kingdom to a global market.

He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1995, and was awarded a professorship for contributing to arts education in the United Kingdom, making him one of the youngest full professors in the country. In 1997 SFA named Ely a Distinguished Honorary Professor, and Gov. George W. Bush recognized him as an Honorary Texan in recognition of Ely's contribution to education in the state of Texas.

Ely has worked as an actor, director and scenic designer in both theatre and film. Today he is a painter, filmmaker, and prolific writer and photographer.

More than 600 graduates will receive degrees during the commencement ceremony, including 438 bachelor's degrees, 176 master's degrees and three doctorates. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. in William R. Johnson Coliseum.