The University of Vermont will celebrate its 216th commencement exercises on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. The University Commencement Main Ceremony, where the president will confer baccalaureate degrees, will take place on Sunday, May 21, on the University Green, beginning with the procession at 8:20 a.m. The College of Arts and Sciences ceremony will follow the main ceremony. Graduates and guests are urged to dress appropriately for the weather. Tickets are not required for these ceremonies.
President Tom Sullivan will confer degrees on an estimated 3,228 graduates, including 2,620 bachelors, 386 masters, 106 doctoral and 116 medical degree recipients. Among expected degree recipients are students from 40 states and 97 international students from 21 foreign countries. Approximately 1,116 graduates are from Vermont. The graduating class includes an expected 343 students of color.
The Graduate College Commencement Ceremony, where master and doctoral students will be hooded and presented with their diploma, will take place on Saturday, May 20, in the Multipurpose Facility in the Athletic Complex at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are not required for this ceremony.
The College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony, where graduates will take their professional oath, will take place on Sunday, May 21 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 20 at 3:00 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 21. View the full Commencement weekend schedule.
Preeminent journalist and author James Fallows will give the commencement address at the University Main Ceremony. He brings his keen perspective and highly respected voice to a wide range of topics across the spectrum of American and international politics and culture. A national correspondent for The Atlantic for more than 35 years, Mr. Fallows writes authoritatively on national security policy, U.S. foreign policy and international relations, global and domestic economics, the development and application of technology, and emerging trends in American civic life.
Five others will receive honorary degrees at the ceremony: Diane Greene, Martha Pattee Heath, David R. Nalin, M.D., Alexander Nemerov, and Patrick Wong. Learn more about these recipients.
Tickets are required for the College of Medicine Ceremony, Grossman School of Business, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources ceremonies 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/.
Street closing information
The following street closings are planned in conjunction with Commencement: from Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, May 21, 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 21 from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., South Prospect Street will be closed from Colchester Avenue to Main Street, and College Street will be closed from South Prospect Street to South Williams Street. In addition, the northernmost west-bound lane on Main Street from University Heights to South Prospect Street will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Shuttle buses will run between ceremony sites and parking areas. A parking map is available on the Commencement 2017 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 2017 website: www.uvm.edu/commencement.