Family and friends will join graduates Sunday, May 18, in celebrating West Virginia Universitys 134th Commencement at the WVU Coliseum. About 3,000 students are expected to graduate, and between 2,000 and 2,500 graduates are expected to participate in the ceremony. Doors open at noon for the 1:30 p.m. start.
WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. will preside over the ceremony and bestow honorary degrees, distinguished service honors and Vandalia awards to those who have served the University in various ways.
West Virginia 1st District Congressman Alan B. Mollohan will address WVU graduates and receive an honorary Doctor of Law degree. In addition to Mollohan, those receiving honorary degrees are former Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget Sylvia M. Mathews, Doctor of Humane Letters; poet and Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Nikki Giovanni, Doctor of Humane Letters; and Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, founder and CEO of YAS Broadband Ventures, LLC , Doctor of Science.
In recognition of their outstanding service to WVU , four Order of Vandalia winners will be recognized: Forest”Jack”Bowman, retired WVU law professor emeritus; the Hon. Judge Irene Keeley, U.S. District Judge, Northern District of West Virginia; Milan”Mike”Puskar, retired CEO of Mylan Laboratories, Inc; and Alfred F. Ware, retired CEO of Amherst International Inc.
Long-time West Virginia Sen. Lloyd Jackson, who now serves on the West Virginia Board of Education, will receive the Presidents Distinguished Service Award.
No tickets are necessary for guests attending the Commencement ceremony. Special seating is available for those with physical limitations, as well as guests requiring the services of the signers on the platform. Call Joy Patterson at (304) 293-2769 to reserve special seating. Dolly Ford and Holly Fox, WVU interpreter-transliterators, will provide signing services for the ceremony. WVU event planners in need of signers should contact Rebecca Berger, Office of Disability Services, at (304) 293-6700 to utilize this new in-house service.
Special music will be provided by organist Jeanne Elmes, the WVU Choir directed by Kathleen Shannon, and members of the WVU Wind Symphony conducted by Don Wilcox and John Hendricks. Featured student performances will include graduating seniors Ceci Grasso Dadisman, who will sing a solo, and Paul Lowry and James Moore, who each will play a trumpet solo during the ceremony. All three will receive bachelor of music degrees.
At the conclusion of the approximately 2-2hour ceremony, the WVU Alumni Association invites the Universitys newest alumni and their families to the second annual post commencement open house and reception from 4-5:30 p.m. at Erickson Alumni Center. For more information, contact Kevin Berry at kbberry@mail.wvu.edu or call (304) 293-4731.
Degree candidates participating in the May 18 Commencement must wear caps, gowns and hoods, if appropriate. These items are available at the WVU Bookstore and can be ordered by contacting Alicia Cayton at (304) 293-7467. Degree candidates and faculty should arrive at 12:45 p.m. and enter through the gate nearest to the location assigned to their school or college. University Marshals will line up the schools and colleges in the assigned areas where stanchions are placed.
Doctoral and professional degree candidates will receive their diplomas during the ceremony. Other graduates may proceed to degree-granting ceremonies and degree distribution locations following the conclusion of the ceremony. For a list of ceremonies and distribution locations, check the online schedule of events athttp://www.wvu.edu/commencement/.
All University parking lots will be open to the public during Commencement weekend. For the convenience of students and guests attending convocations and receptions in the Student Recreation Center, a shuttle service will be provided to and from the Blue Gate of the Coliseum to the Student Recreation Center and the Creative Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday. Limited guest parking also will be available in the lots adjacent to the Student Recreation Center.
A professionally produced video will capture the entire Commencement ceremony from start to finish. To reserve a copy of the 134th Commencement special edition video, complete and mail the order form available online athttp://www.wvu.edu/commencement/. For more information on WVU s commencement activities, including maps and diagrams, visit the Commencement Web site athttp://www.wvu.edu/commencement/.