Busby – SNR Commencement Speaker May 2007
Published April 2007
Story Source: Christine Tew
More than 70 young men and women will cross the stage as family, friends and mentors fill the hall during the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources commencement ceremony. An Emmy Award winner will address the crowd.
Kansas City Meteorologist and friend of the School, Bryan Busby, will deliver the keynote address in Jesse Auditorium on Saturday, May 12, 2007.
Busby is the Chief Meteorologist for Carter Broadcasting and the recipient of six Emmy Awards for his achievements in TV weather. He has served as chairman of the National Chapter of the American Meteorological Society’s Board of Broadcast Meteorologists and is actively involved with the undergraduate program at MU.
"Bryan is a good speaker and has been a good friend to the department," said Tony Lupo, associate professor of Atmospheric Science at MU. "He has actually been a friend of the program for so long that the last time he spoke at commencement was before I was here, and I’ve been around for 10 years." He is expected to give graduates advice on leadership and career success, Lupo said.
The speaker is nominated in the School’s Academic Programs Office and selected by the SNR Student Council, said Laura Hertel, coordinator of Student Services. "We haven’t had an atmospheric sciences speaker in a while."
As a friend of the school, Busby has mentored graduates and interns from the atmospheric science program. In the past five years, he has provided internship opportunities for eight MU students.
"His track record with interns has been a great success," Lupo said. "If you intern with him, you are guaranteed a job, a good job, somewhere."Busby is also involved in the community beyond his time in front of the camera. He is a member and principal timpanist of the Civic Orchestra of Kansas City, as well as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansas City Youth Symphony.
"He used to be really big on the celebration of National Weatherman’s Day, which is Feb. 5," Lupo said. "He used to have his own two-person parade."
Graduates and their friends, families and mentors can look forward to a commencement address blending the humor and wisdom Busby has gained during his nearly 30-year broadcast career.
Past commencement speakers have represented the Fisheries, Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks, Recreation and Tourism fields.
