Celebrating the Class of 2015

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2015) — On Saturday, May 9, thousands will fill Rupp Arena to celebrate the University of Kentucky Class of 2015.

The May 2015 Commencement Ceremonies will recognize the accomplishments of undergraduate, graduate and professional students who will have completed their degrees by the end of the spring 2015 semester. Graduate and professional degrees will be conferred at 9 a.m.; and undergraduate degrees will be conferred at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.  All ceremonies will be streamed live on UKNow. 

Saturday's ceremonies include:

9 a.m. — Graduate and Professional Ceremony

1 p.m. — Undergraduate Ceremony for the colleges of: Agriculture, Food and Environment; Business and Economics (Gatton); Education; Engineering; and Nursing

6 p.m. — Undergraduate Ceremony for the colleges of: Arts and Sciences; Communication and Information; Design; Fine Arts; Health Sciences; and Social Work.

Nearly 2,000 undergraduates and 475 graduate and professional students are expected to participate in Saturday's ceremonies; overall, approximately 2,961 undergraduate, 1,089 graduate and 448 professional degree candidates have been submitted to the UK Board of Trustees for approval.

The May 2015 graduates, as well as December 2015 graduates, will also receive unique diplomas that honor the university's sesquicentennial. All diplomas will bear a seal commemorating 150 years of UK's dedication to research, education and service.

UK President Eli Capilouto will deliver remarks at all three ceremonies, and a student will also address the audience at each of the undergraduate ceremonies, as per UK tradition.

Brooke Nemec, from Glen Arm, Maryland, is graduating with a degree in agricultural biotechnology from the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Nemec works as a student lab assistant and undergraduate researcher at the Gluck Equine Research Center. She will deliver the Commencement address at the 1 p.m. ceremony.  

Ryan Mosley, from Emmalena, Kentucky in Knott County, is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in both history and sociology from the UK College of Arts and Sciences. Mosley is program director for WRFL 88.1 FM, the university's student-run radio station. He will give the Commencement address at the 6 p.m. ceremony.

The University of Kentucky will also award honorary doctorates at the 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ceremonies.

Kentucky Music Hall of Fame member Leslie Coleman "Les" McCann, a celebrated jazz pianist and vocalist widely known as the "Father of Soul Jazz," will receive an Honorary Doctor of Arts at the 9 a.m. ceremony.

O. Leonard "Len" Press, the founding director of Kentucky Educational Television (KET), and his wife Lillian Henken Press, a mental health, education and women's advocate who also served as first director of Kentucky's Governor's Scholars Program, will receive honorary doctorates at the 6 p.m. undergraduate ceremony.

Followers of UK’s Twitter account (twitter.com/universityofky) can follow along with the Commencement activities via live tweets prior to and during the event. Social media users are encouraged to use the hashtag #ukgrad to honor all the graduates.

All three ceremonies will be streamed live at www.uky.edu/uknow, the university’s news website. Full video of each ceremony will be available within two weeks after Commencement on the university’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/universityofkentucky.