Joe H. Ritch ('72 BA Political Science), prominent Huntsville attorney, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) chairman and alumnus of UAH, is scheduled to deliver the commencement address on Sunday, Dec. 14. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m., and will be held in the Von Braun Center Propst Arena (downtown Huntsville). UAH is expected to award more than 800 diplomas at its fall graduation ceremony - 511 bachelor's degrees, 290 master's degrees and 32 doctoral degrees. Ritch will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from UAH during the ceremony. Joe H. Ritch is an attorney in the Huntsville office of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. He has been active in Huntsville economic development for more than three decades and is the longtime chairman of the Tennessee Valley Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). Under Ritch's leadership, the Tennessee Valley BRAC committee successfully marketed Redstone Arsenal as a destination for military commands designated for relocation. Thousands of jobs have moved to the North Alabama and Southern Tennessee region because of the relocations.