May 21, 1998 Contact Maureen Shine (541) 346-3145 EUGENE--Former judge and legal scholar Beverly Ledbetter, vice president and general counsel at Rhode Island's Brown University, will address the Class of 1998 on Saturday, June 13, during the University of Oregon's 121st spring commencement. Approximately 3,700 spring-term degree candidates and fall- and winter-term UO graduates are eligible to participate in the spring ceremonies which begin at 12:30 p.m. at Hayward Field, 1580 E. 15th Ave. In the event of rain, the commencement ceremony will be held indoors at McArthur Court, 1601 University St. Campus parking will be limited and those attending are advised to arrive early and park in lots located at East 15th Avenue and Columbia Street, or East 14th Avenue and Kincaid Street. Ledbetter, a popular speaker and expert on legal issues facing higher education, says her commencement keynote address "will offer some sage advice to graduates about how to prepare for life's rewards and its challenges in this next and very important chapter in their lives." Prior to her current position, Ledbetter, 53, served as associate judge in Providence Housing Court, legal counsel to the University of Oklahoma, special counsel to the Oklahoma State Nurses Association and general counsel to the Educational Advancement Foundation. She also was on faculty at Harvard University's Management Development Program and its Institute for School Law, was an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Education as well as its College of Law, and was a special instructor in mathematics at the University of Colorado. In addition, Ledbetter was president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, served as general counsel and member of the executive committee of the Rhode Island Black Lawyers' Association, was a delegate to the Rhode Island and American Bar associations and was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association committee on infractions. "Beverly Ledbetter is an impressive legal scholar who understands and can speak with eloquence about the pivotal issues facing our graduates in this rapidly changing world," says UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "We are honored to have someone with her insight, foresight and energy as this year's commencement speaker." Ledbetter has also served on the Bryant College board of trustees, the civil justice advisory group for the U.S. District Court of the District of Rhode Island, the national board of directors of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island board of directors. She was a member of the board of directors of the Providence Public Library and served on the joint federal advisory committee on equal opportunity for the U.S. Departments of Labor, and Health, Education and Welfare. She was chairperson of the Rhode Island Rhodes Scholarship selection committee. Her honors and awards include the Minority Counsel Award from the American Bar Association and election to the Order of the COIF, a national honor society for law students who represent the top 10 percent of their graduating class. A native of East Texas, Ledbetter received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Howard University and her doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Colorado. -30- #P-4095/Local,OrDailies,PDX,Special