3 alumni to address graduates

Three accomplished Central Michigan University alumni will address nearly 3,000 August and December graduates next month as fall 2019 commencement speakers.

Commencement ceremonies are at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at McGuirk Arena in the John G. Kulhavi Events Center. CMU also will present the three speakers with honorary doctoral degrees.

A CMU trustee emeritus

The commencement stage will be familiar ground for William R. Kanine: As a member of CMU's Board of Trustees, he's participated in more than 45 graduation ceremonies — including every once since May 2014.

Kanine, a trustee from 2011-18 and board chair in 2014-15, will address graduates at the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony.

He graduated from CMU in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and an accounting major. He and his wife, Carla, have been honored as role models for their financial support and deep and unwavering loyalty to their alma mater.

In 1996, he established William R. Kanine P.C. Certified Public Accountants in Petoskey, Michigan. Before practicing in Petoskey, he was an audit manager at KPMG Peat Marwick in Lansing and Detroit.

Kanine's eight-year term on the CMU Board of Trustees began in 2011. He received trustee emeritus rank when his term expired in December 2018.

Kanine will receive an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree.

A Canadian college leader

As president and CEO of Centennial College in Ontario, Canada, Ann Buller oversees 2,500 faculty and staff, an annual budget of $300 million, five sites in Toronto and one site in China.

The Toronto resident received a Master of Arts degree in education from CMU in 1999. She will address graduates at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony.

In Buller's time at Centennial, 2004-2019, the college developed more than 100 new academic programs, eliminated long-term debt, increased revenues from $143.2 million to $300 million, grew endowments from $549,000 to $29 million and created 250 new full-time positions.

In 2016, the Women's Executive Network ranked Buller among Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women.

She is a member of Canada's Federal Task Force on Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions and a board member of the Ontario College Quality Assurance Service and World Education Services Board.

Buller will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

A researcher and entrepreneur

Luke T. Daum describes himself as a father, scientist, teacher, world traveler, troubleshooter and inventor.

The co-founder, chief scientific officer and executive vice president at Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics in San Antonio, Texas, will speak to graduates at the 6 p.m. ceremony.

Longhorn is a molecular diagnostic company focused on rapid detection and characterization of infectious diseases.

Daum, who grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, earned a Master of Science degree in biology from CMU in 1999. He received his doctorate in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2007.

One of his products at Longhorn recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for collection and transport of human clinical samples suspected of containing influenza and mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Daum was previously a civilian scientist at the U.S. Department of Defense. While stationed at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, he initiated the U.S. Air Force's molecular influenza strain surveillance laboratory. He has published more than 30 research articles and holds 12 U.S. and international patents.

He will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.