For the first time in UCCS history, colleges will be split between two commencement ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. May 24 at the Colorado Springs World Arena.
The 11:30 a.m. ceremony will feature bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree graduates from the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
The 3:30 p.m. ceremony will feature bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree recipients from the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the College of Business and Administration, the School of Public Affairs, the College of Education and the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
The new format will ensure that the number of guests each graduate can bring is not limited.
“Many of our students bring 10 or 12 people to commencement,” Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “I simply refuse to limit the number of family members and friends who come to commencement to celebrate our students’ success.”
According to the Office of Admissions and Records, almost 1,200 students completed degree requirements during the spring semester and are eligible to participate in the formal ceremonies.
CU and UCCS dignitaries attending will include members of the CU Board of Regents, CU President Bruce Benson, Shockley-Zalabak and Tucker Hart Adams, a local economist and this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.
Participating commencement staff should arrive at the World Arena by 9:15 a.m. for the first ceremony and 1:15 p.m. for the second. Participating faculty should arrive no later than 10:45 a.m. for the first ceremony and 2:45 p.m. for the second ceremony, unless notified otherwise based on specific duties.
While the new format will make for a long day, Shockley-Zalabak sees the change as a sign of the university’s growth and success.
“The fact that we can’t even fit in the World Arena because we’ve got over 10,000 people coming is testament to the work we do,” Shockley-Zalabak said. “It’s something that I find invigorating, exciting and tiring.”
Both ceremonies will be live-streamed online and rebroadcast on Comcast Channel 20 and Falcon Broadband Channel 77. To watch the live stream or to see a schedule of the broadcasts, please visit www.uccs.edu/commencement.
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