Tabor College Invites Bryce Unruh to Address Graduates

Bryce Unruh 2016 Commencement SpeakerHILLSBORO, Kan. – Tabor College is proud to invite one of its own back to speak to the 2016 graduating class. Bryce Unruh received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Tabor in 1991. He has gone on to have a successful career in the aerospace industry.

“Hearing from our graduates at commencement is always inspiring and challenging,” said President Jules Glanzer. “Tabor’s tradition of inviting back previous graduates to share their stories is a way to demonstrate that a degree from Tabor can lead to incredible success and influence in the world.”

In Unruh’s case his Tabor education took him beyond any world he could have imagined for himself.

“Tabor prepared me for a life of exploration – the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. My career path has lifted me to exploring the unknowns of space,” said Unruh. “As an Aerospace Engineering, I have had the privilege of working on NASA astrophysics missions that are unlocking the mysteries of God’s creation.”

Following graduation from Tabor, Unruh earned a Master of Science in mathematics from Colorado State University. He has worked in the aerospace industry on a number of NASA astrophysics missions and currently develops commercial products for satellite and airline industries. Unruh has presented multiple times at a variety of aerospace conferences and meetings. In 2004 he received the NASA Group Achievement Award for his participation on the Spitzer Space Telescope Team. Two years later, Unruh was awarded a letter of accommodation for the design of NASA’s Kepler Telescope.

“By telling my story to Tabor 2016 graduates, I hope to impart some perspective from a previous Tabor graduate. I sat in their position 25 years ago with some of the same feelings of uncertainty about my future,” said Unruh. “I believe that God directed, and is still directing, my path in life. I hope to share some of my quest from a Kansas farm boy to a planet hunter.”

Tabor’s Commencement ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m., on May 14, with a concert by the Symphonic Band at 9:30 a.m. For those who cannot attend in person, a live feed of the ceremony will be set up on the Tabor Webcast website.