Watch here: UK's December 2023 Commencement Ceremonies
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2023) — Today, the University of Kentucky will celebrate its newest alumni at the December 2023 UK Commencement Ceremonies. More than 1,300 of these graduates are expected to participate in Friday’s Commencement Ceremonies.
Overall, the UK Board of Trustees approved the conferral of 2,000 degrees at its meeting this week, including 1,321 undergraduate, 665 graduate and 14 professional degree candidates for December 2023.*
All ceremonies will be livestreamed on UK’s YouTube channel, and can be accessed here on UKNow or the UK Commencement website Friday.
The ceremony schedule is as follows:
10 a.m. ceremony
- Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
- College of Education
- Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Medicine
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Public Health
- College of Social Work
- Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
- Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce
3 p.m. ceremony
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Communication and Information
- College of Design
- College of Health Sciences
- College of Nursing
- Gatton College of Business and Economics
- J. David Rosenberg College of Law
Grad Gathering
The UK Alumni Association will host receptions for the graduates and their families in Club C of the lower level of Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. After graduates cross the stage, they are encouraged to come down with their families and enjoy free refreshments, photo opportunities, gifts and prizes. More here.
Honorary degree
The UK Board of Trustees has approved an honorary degree to John Rosenberg, a citizen who has distinguished himself through his career and community service.
A Holocaust survivor, Rosenberg has served as a longtime civil and human rights activist, a former attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and founder of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.
Rosenberg will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the 3 p.m. ceremony Friday, Dec. 15.
Read more about the December 2023 honorary degree recipient.
Speakers
UK President Eli Capilouto will introduce Affrilachian poet Deidra White who will perform a spoken word piece titled, “Here in Kentucky.” White is both a 2022 UK graduate and current UK Master of Fine Arts student.
Two December 2023 graduates have also been selected by UK President Eli Capilouto to address the audiences at their respective ceremony.
- Angela Jamison, from Florence, Kentucky, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony. She is graduating with a Master of Social Work from the UK College of Social Work’s online program.
- Cindy Sossa, who is originally from Australia, will speak at the 3 p.m. ceremony. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English from the UK College of Arts and Sciences.
Full video of each ceremony will be available within two weeks after Commencement on the university’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/universityofkentucky.
Social media users are encouraged to use the hashtag #UKgrad.
For more information about UK Commencement, visit http://commencement.uky.edu/.
*These numbers reflect degree candidates, not individual graduates (some graduates earn more than one degree, thereby being counted as a degree candidate multiple times). Degrees will be certified by the UK registrar, ensuring individuals have satisfactorily completed all requirements. The most up-to-date information is available through UK and Institutional Research, Analytics and Decision Support.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.