The University of Vermont will celebrate its 214th commencement exercises on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. The University Commencement Main Ceremony, where the president will confer baccalaureate degree by college/school, will take place Sunday, May 17. Since the forecast calls for pleasant weather, the ceremony, which begins with the procession at 8:20 a.m., will take place outdoors on the University Green. Tickets are not required.

The Graduate College Commencement Ceremony, where master and doctoral students will be hooded and presented with their diploma, will take place on Saturday, May 16 in the Multipurpose Facility in the Athletic Complex at 12:30 pm.

The College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony, where graduates will take their professional oath, will take place on Sunday, May 17 in Ira Allen Chapel at 3 p.m. This ceremony is ticketed.

A recognition ceremony for Honors College Scholars will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 3:30 p.m. in Ira Allen Chapel.

Individual college/school undergraduate ceremonies, where degree candidates will receive their diplomas, will take place throughout the day on Sunday, May 17. The College of Arts and Sciences ceremony will also be held outdoors.  View the full Commencement weekend schedule

.

Tickets are required for the College of Medicine Ceremony and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Ceremony regardless of weather. Learn more about ticketing for each of the ceremonies.

The main ceremony and each college’s ceremony will be webcast live on the following website: http://live.vpt.org/uvm/uvm.htmlSee the complete schedule of all ceremonies and receptions.

This year, President Tom Sullivan will confer degrees on an estimated 2,975 graduates, including 2,385 bachelor's, 362 master's, 112 doctoral, and 116 M.D. degree recipients. Among expected degree recipients are students from 42 states and 85 international students from 16 countries. Approximately 1,158 graduates are from Vermont. The graduating class includes an expected 286 African, Latino/a, Asian and Native American (ALANA) and bi/multi-racial students.

Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio legal affairs correspondent, will deliver the commencement address and be presented with an honorary doctor of humane letters. One of the nation’s preeminent legal affairs correspondents, her award-winning coverage of the Supreme Court and legal affairs across the country airs regularly on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition. She is a frequent panelist and guest on television public affairs programs and has published articles in the New York Times Magazine, the Harvard Law ReviewParade Magazine, and New York magazine, among others. In 1991, her NPR report on Law Professor Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas prompted the Senate Judiciary Committee to re-open Thomas’s confirmation hearings and ultimately initiated a national paradigm shift regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. The American Bar Association has honored her seven times, and she has received numerous awards in journalism and broadcasting. She has been consistently recognized for her broad knowledge of the U.S. legal system, her persistence in following leads, her meticulous journalistic integrity, and her courageous coverage of controversial topics.

Six others will receive honorary degrees at the ceremony: David H. Barlow, Ian D. Boyce, Dr. C. Norman Coleman, Soovin Kim, Holly and Bob Miller and Annie Proulx. Learn more about these recipients.

Guidebook, a free mobile app with event details, maps, local information and more, is available for download, and free wireless access will be provided at the ceremonies by choosing the “UVM Guest” network; no password is required.

The following street closings are planned in conjunction with commencement: from Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m., University Place will be closed from Colchester Avenue to Main Street, and South Prospect Street will be closed from College Street to the University Health Center entrance. In addition, on Sunday, May 17 from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., South Prospect Street will be closed form Colchester Avenue to Main Street, and College Street will be closed from South Prospect Street to South Williams Street.

 Main Street will also be restricted to one lane from the Davis Center to South Prospect Street from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.

Shuttle buses will run between ceremony sites and parking areas. A parking map is available on the Commencement 2015 website. Guests are encouraged to carpool when possible and take shuttles from hotels when provided. Parking on residential streets is prohibited.



More information about commencement weekend is available on the Commencement 2015 website: www.uvm.edu/commencement.

PUBLISHED

05-12-2015
University Communications
Nina Totenberg