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2026 May Commencement radio spot - May 11, 2026
Transcript
Shauna Johnson: This is West Virginia University. It's time for pump and circumstance in Golden Blue at May Commencement, a mountaineer milestone and the largest production university events puts on each year. Kelly Flanagan is the team's director.
Kelly Flanagan: May Commencement starts at the end of the previous May Commencement planning. It's 364 days of planning pretty much leading up to each May Commencement.
Shauna Johnson: Thousands of graduates will participate in nine commencement ceremonies at the Hope Coliseum over three days in May.
Kelly Flanagan: We work with each of the schools and colleges, because each of our schools have some unique aspects to their ceremonies. So, we do try to stay true to those and just make sure that we're honoring each of those little elements that make their specific ceremony special.
Shauna Johnson: To make the event special for graduates and their families and friends, Flanagan's team has a lot of support.
Kelly Flanagan: We have volunteers from schools and colleges and staff from other units who help us every year. And then we also have partners at strategic communications and marketing, parking, university police. Our facilities crew is wonderful, so we have a lot of really strong partners who we definitely could not do it without.
Shauna Johnson: What makes WVU commencement special?
Kelly Flanagan: Definitely Country Roads. Singing Country Roads at the end is something that is very unique to us and is very special to our students and our parents and families and friends. At that point, the students have walked, everybody's excited, the families are excited and ready to celebrate. So, that's really a moment where the faculty and staff who are on site, who have helped these students get to this moment, they are singing with them, swaying with them and really just celebrating. So, that's my favorite part.
Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.
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