Graduation ceremonies and plans underway
activities.
The Graduate Commencement and Hooding Ceremony will take place May 5 at 1:30 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Following this, graduates and their families are invited to a graduation dinner, for which tickets are required.
Undergraduate Commencement will begin Saturday, May 6 with the academic procession at 9 a.m., immediately followed by the Commencement Ceremony at 9:30 in the Spectrum. College ceremonies will take place at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., depending on the college.
The biggest change the undergraduate ceremony will see is the switch back to graduates walking and degrees being handed out at college ceremonies rather than the commencement ceremony, as was done for the first time last spring. While the response to this change last year was positive, the number of people attending the commencement ceremony was too large to fit in the Spectrum.
“This was a huge issue last year,” said Tim Vitale, assistant director of public relations and marketing and a member of the commencement committee. “The overwhelming success bred overcrowding at the Spectrum.”
While tickets are not required to get into the Spectrum, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Continuing in the recent tradition of having a graduating student speak at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony, Ben Searle will address the group Saturday morning.
Searle, the College of Engineering valedictorian, was chosen from among the valedictorians of each college who each made a presentation to fellow valedictorians.
“They select from among themselves, making it totally student-selected,” said Sydney Peterson, Commencement coordinator.
Each year, the university also presents three honorary degrees, one to the Commencement speaker and the remaining two to members of the community.
This year the honorees are C. Peter Magrath, and Manon Russell and Lorenzo “Ren” Hoopes, respectively.
A committee began reviewing nominations in November and presented their top five nominations to President Albrecht. He then chose the two citizens who would receive the award.
“[The committee] based their recommendations to the president on contributions to Utah State – not necessarily fiscal, but maybe legislative or emotional. Also on being a valued citizen in our democracy,” said Gary Straquadine, vice provost for Academic and Faculty Services, who does the behind-the-scenes work for the committee.
The Undergraduate Commencement speaker, C. Peter Magrath, is the immediate past-president of NASULGC, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
As the CEO of the nation’s oldest higher education association, he represented numerous universities and is also the past president of three universities with a history of leadership in international education services. According to Vitale, he is a dynamic speaker with an immense knowledge of issues confronting higher education.
For those who want to enjoy campus once more, the alumni graduation picnic will be held from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on the HPER field in between the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony and college ceremonies.
“This is a great option for those who do not want to leave campus before going to their college ceremony,” Vitale said.
For those seniors who can’t wait until after graduation to celebrate, the Student Alumni Association is sponsoring a Senior Send-Off April 19.
This event will take place in the Taggart Student Center from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with free admission for seniors and a $5 fee for their guests, such as a spouse.
“This is an opportunity to let graduating seniors relax and have a little party before graduation,” said Scott Olson, adviser of the Student Alumni Association.
A complete list of events and times can be found on the USU Web site, www.usu.edu/commencement.
-ariek@cc.usu.edu