UK Honors Graduates at 145th May Commencement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 7, 2012) — What an exciting year it has been to be a Wildcat! From welcoming a new president to welcoming home the NCAA men's basketball championship, the graduating students have had a lot of fond memories during their time as UK students. But Sunday, May 6, the celebration turned to the students themselves at the University of Kentucky's 145th Commencement Ceremonies held at Lexington's Rupp Arena.

More than 4,000 students are receiving degrees this May. UK is conferring 988 graduate degrees, 457 professional degrees and 2,710 undergraduate degrees. More than half of those students chose to participate in the Commencement Ceremonies. The graduate/professional ceremony honored more than 500 students, and the two undergraduate ceremonies included more than 1,900 students walking across the stage.  As many as 20,000 guests attended the three ceremonies combined.

This year’s Commencement not only marks a new beginning for graduates, but for the university as well. Keeping with UK tradition, President Eli Capilouto delivered the Commencement address to students at all three ceremonies. UK presidents address the graduating class at the first and last Commencements of their tenure.

Capilouto, who became UK's 12th president on July 1, 2011, is passionate about fulfilling the Kentucky Promise, UK's initiative to revitalize the campus, enhance undergraduate education, offer more opportunities to young Kentuckians through scholarships and continue a nearly 150-year legacy of education, research and service to the Commonwealth.

In his Commencement speech, Capilouto said the Kentucky Promise "charges us to be the fervent fire that leads our state and our world to a more prosperous future through comprehensive education, groundbreaking research, and often painstaking service that uplifts people wherever our students and scholars go.  Often, the manner in which we espouse these values most ardently is through the actions and deeds of our students. You are our hope in the future.  You are our greatest asset and resource today."

The Commencement Ceremony that honored graduate and professional students was held at 9 a.m.  It was followed at 1 p.m. by the ceremony that honored undergraduates from the colleges of Agriculture, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering and Nursing, and the 6 p.m. ceremony recognized undergraduate students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Communications and Information Studies, Design, Fine Arts, Health Sciences and Social Work.

Ronald Harrison, son of Teresa Wales and Ronald Harrison of Louisville, served as the student speaker at the 1 p.m. Commencement Ceremony. A marketing and international business major and Gatton Global Scholar, Harrison is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He was selected for the Emerging Leader Institute and the University Leadership Summit and was a founding member of the Collegiate 100 and Black Male Initiative. He has studied abroad in both Germany and Spain and has developed a love of travel and the world from his experiences abroad. He has also interned with Proctor and Gamble and the Ronald McDonald House, where he still volunteers. After graduation, Harrison will move to Philadelphia to work for Proctor and Gamble.

Anna Coutts, daughter of Jean and Walter Coutts of Colorado Springs, Colo., was the student speaker for the 6 p.m. Commencement Ceremony. An arts administration major with a minor in business, Coutts has traveled the world and developed her love of the arts. She has studied abroad in Rome, where she also completed an internship. She has also interned with the Art Museum at the University of Kentucky and the Singletary Center for the Arts. She serves as a College of Fine Arts Ambassador and was the vice president of Patterson Hall as a freshman. After graduation, Coutts will be working at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati.

At the two undergraduate ceremonies, the graduates were sent out with a bang, as each ceremony ended with a display of fireworks and streamers.

Family members and friends unable to attend the Commencement ceremonies were able to watch the events live online on UKNow, UK’s news website, at www.uky.edu/uknow, including “Live from the Big Blue Carpet,” a special pre-show hosted by students that featured a behind the scenes look at graduation and interviews with faculty, administrators and excited graduates.

Graduates and others can view the ceremony beginning in mid-May on UK's YouTube site at www.youtube.com/universityofkentucky.