Preparing for the 144th Commencement Ceremony

Click here to view recordings of the 2011 May Commencement Exercises.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2011) – On Sunday, May 8, thousands of spectators will fill Rupp Arena, but not for a basketball game or a rock concert. These people will be the friends and families of the University of Kentucky’s Class of 2011 and will be on hand to celebrate their graduates at the 144th Commencement Ceremonies. The students recognized will be those who have completed their undergraduate or graduate degree by the end of spring 2011.

This year boasts some changes to the Commencement Ceremonies. This year instead of having one large ceremony and separate college ceremonies, there will be three larger Commencement Ceremonies: one for graduate and professional students and two for the undergraduate colleges.

The first ceremony of the day will honor graduate and professional students and will begin at 9 a.m.

The second ceremony of the day recognizes undergraduates from the colleges of Agriculture, Gatton College of Business and Economics, Education, Engineering and Nursing. This ceremony begins at 1 p.m.

The third ceremony recognizing the undergraduates will be held at 6 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The students honored at this ceremony will be from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Communications and Information Studies, Design, Fine Arts, Health Sciences and Social Work.

Traditionally, UK's president  has given the Commencement address after his first and last year in office. Continuing with tradition, UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. will address the 144th graduating class. Todd has only addressed the graduating class once before ― in May 2002 after his first year as the university's president.

In addition to Todd, a student speaker for each ceremony has been selected. The graduate student speaker is Tourette Jackson, a doctoral candidate in the College of Public Health. Jackson is a native of Marks, Miss., and also earned her master’s degree from UK.

Addressing the 1 p.m. undergraduate ceremony is Dwight J. Lacy, an agricultural communications and leadership development and journalism major with a sociology minor from Louisville. Lacy plans to attend UK College of Law in the fall.

James Chapman, a senior from Hopkinsville, Ky., has been selected to address his fellow graduates at the 6 p.m. ceremony. Chapman is a political science and international studies major who has also studied abroad at Cairo University in Egypt. After graduation, he will attend George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to complete a master’s degree before returning to complete a law degree at UK.

This year family members and friends unable to attend the Commencement Ceremonies can watch the events live online on UKNow, UK’s news website, at www.uky.edu/uknow. Live-streaming will be available for all three ceremonies. Prior to each ceremony, UK students will host “Live from the Big Blue Carpet,” a special pre-show that will feature a behind the scenes look at graduation and interviews with faculty, administrators and excited graduates. “Live from the Big Blue Carpet” begins approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of each ceremony.

Twitter.com will also be used during the ceremonies (and before) through the use of the hash tag #UKGrad to celebrate our graduates and all of the events surrounding Commencement. Follow UK's official Twitter account www.twitter.com/UniversityofKy (http://twitter.com/UniversityofKy) for updates regarding Commencement. Please note that if your tweets are protected, they will not appear in the #UKGrad search. UK’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/universityofky will also be a hub for Commencement information.

For those attending Commencement, a family room will available to accommodate guests who may have difficulty navigating the stairs at Rupp Arena or for children who become restless during the day’s events. Located in Thoroughbred Room 8, the family room will include a television monitor for viewing the day’s events live.

For more information regarding the 144th Commencement Ceremonies, including answers to commonly asked questions, please visit www.uky.edu/commencement.

2011 Commencement Calendar

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Rupp Arena

Commencement Ceremonies

8:45 a.m. – “Live from the Big Blue Carpet” (online at www.uky.edu/uknow)

9 a.m. - Graduate and Professional Ceremony

12:45 p.m. – “Live from the Big Blue Carpet” (online at www.uky.edu/uknow)

1 p.m. – Undergraduate Ceremony honoring students from the colleges of Agriculture, Gatton College of Business and Economics, Education, Engineering and Nursing

5:45 p.m. – “Live from the Big Blue Carpet” (online at www.uky.edu/uknow)

6 p.m. – Undergraduate Ceremony honoring students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Communications and Information Studies, Design, Fine Arts, Health Sciences and Social Work

Receptions

Alumni Association: Thoroughbred Rooms 5–7; 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

College of Agriculture: Heritage Ballroom; 3–4:30 p.m.

College of Communications and Information Studies: Thoroughbred Pre-function Area; 8 p.m.

College of Design: Land of Tomorrow Gallery; 1–3 p.m., 527 E. Third St.

College of Education: Heritage Ballroom; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

RSVP for Education Reception at: https://www.coe.uky.edu/graduation/RSVP/

College of Engineering: Bluegrass Pre-function Area; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

College of Fine Arts: Singletary Center for the Arts; 2 p.m. Award Celebration and Reception

College of Health Sciences: Regency Ballroom, Hyatt hotel; following ceremony

Anticipated start time 10:30 a.m., end time 12:30 p.m.

International Student Graduation Reception: 5 p.m., Thursday, May 5, King Alumni House

Please RSVP online and click the blue “Registration” button.

College of Public Health: Thoroughbred Rooms 1–3; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.