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Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient
Dr. James M. Metz '89
Dr. James M. Metz ’89, chair of Radiation Oncology and Henry K. Pancoast Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Juniata, then received a master’s degree in clinical immunology and microbiology at Hahnemann University. He graduated from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.
He joined the faculty at Penn Medicine in 2000, becoming chair of the department in 2015. James serves as associate director for clinical services and programs at the Abramson Comprehensive Cancer Center and has overseen the department and operations of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the world’s largest and most advanced proton center for cancer treatment. He is also the executive director of OncoLink, an award-winning resource founded in 1994.
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Honorary Degree Recipient
Dr. Carol Heaton Pletcher '66
Dr. Carol H. Pletcher ’66, a distinguished leader in corporate innovation, completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Juniata. She earned her master’s degree in physics and chemistry at the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota in 1979.
Beginning as a senior scientist at Cargill in 1983, she rose to vice president, overseeing global innovation efforts. At Cargill, Pletcher designed, developed, and implemented an extensive corporate recognition program and created and implemented an idea management system encompassing the entire Cargill network of companies. She was named a Top 25 Innovation Champion by Business Week magazine. Pletcher has also led her own consulting firm, Pletcher Consulting, since 2007, and has served as entrepreneur in residence at CONNECT in San Diego, Calif.
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Honorary Degree Recipient
Lt. James Wagner
Lt. James A. Wagner, recipient of the Pennsylvania State Police Purple Heart and Trooper of the Year award, a 21-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police and a 1996 graduate of Mount Union Area High School, served four years of active duty in the United States Navy, four years with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and continues to serve with the United States Naval Reserve. He entered the State Police Academy in 2002 and served as station commander of the Huntingdon barracks from September 2016 to January 2020.
While acting as “officer of the day” supervising operations at the Lewistown Station of Troop G on June 17, 2023, Wagner risked his life to stop a gunman who opened fire at the Lewistown Station of Troop G. He sustained a debilitating injury while courageously coordinating a high-risk response that aided in locating the gunman.