University Offers First December Commencement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2010) - University of Kentucky students who graduate in August and December, will now have their own Commencement Ceremony. UK's first December Commencement will take place Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. A ceremony for master's degree and doctoral students will be held at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Singletary Center for the Arts, and a ceremony for undergraduates will take place at 6 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum.

Students who plan to participate in those ceremonies are asked to RSVP by Oct. 22 by signing up on the Commencement website at www.uky.edu/Commencement.
 
"Commencement is a meaningful experience," said UK Graduate School Dean Jeannine Blackwell, who serves on UK's Commencement Committee. "Many students graduate in August and December, and this gives them a chance to have that experience."

Both December ceremonies will focus on the graduates. Each graduate's name will be called to walk across the stage and shake hands with UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. and the dean of the student's college. During the undergraduate ceremony, the student's video image, name and major will be displayed on a screen above the stage.

President Todd and a student will be the only special speakers for the undergraduate ceremony. Two students, one for each ceremony, will be chosen by a special committee. Undergraduate students can apply to be the student speaker. The application is on the Commencement website, where students will also find information about caps, gowns and other Commencement regalia.
 
The undergraduate Commencement ceremony will be livestreamed from Memorial Coliseum on UKNow, UK's news website.

A student who graduates in August or December and does not participate in the December Commencement can wait until spring to participate in the May Commencement Ceremony in Rupp Arena. Registration for the May ceremony will be taken during the spring semester.

Students from all of UK's colleges will have Commencement together during the December and May ceremonies. Individual colleges will not hold recognition ceremonies in December or in May 2011, although they may choose to hold receptions for their graduates.

"This new structure is part of a three-year pilot project recommended by a committee Provost Subbaswamy created to evaluate Commencement," said Pat Whitlow, institutional staff officer and a co-organizer of the Commencement ceremonies. "The committee wanted as many students as possible to have access to a special ceremony celebrating their achievement."