The University of Vermont will celebrate its 217th commencement exercises on Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20.
President Tom Sullivan will confer degrees on an estimated 3,055 graduates, including 2,443 bachelors, 387 masters, 112 doctoral and 113 medical degree recipients. Among expected degree recipients are students from 43 states and 204 international students from 35 foreign countries. Approximately 1,021 graduates are from Vermont. The graduating class includes an expected 354 students of color.
The University Commencement Main Ceremony, where the president will confer baccalaureate degrees, will take place on Sunday, May 20 on the University Green. The ceremony begins with a procession at 8:20 a.m. Tickets are not required if the event is outdoors.
The Graduate College Commencement Ceremony, where master and doctoral students will be hooded and presented with their diploma, will take place on Saturday, May 19, in the Multipurpose Facility in the Athletic Complex at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are not required for this ceremony.
The Larner College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony, where graduates will take their professional oath, will take place on Sunday, May 20 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 19 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 20. View the full Commencement weekend schedule: https://www.uvm.edu/commencement/2018-commencement-schedule
Noted scholar of American art and UVM alum, Alexander Nemerov, professor and chair of the Art and Art History Department at Stanford University, will give the commencement address at the University Main Ceremony on May 20. He brings an explorer’s mind and an imaginative, perceptive voice to his close readings of American visual art and cultural history, opening pathways of personal understanding and meaning for his students, colleagues, and readers. Drawing analogies between visual, literary, and historic source material, Professor Nemerov engages art as a springboard for asking questions about democracy, ethics, culture, identity, and humanity. Chair of the Art and Art History Department at Stanford University and the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and Humanities, he kindles great passion among students for the study of art history in his enormously popular classes. He received a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa during University of Vermont’s 2017 commencement ceremonies.
Four honorary degrees will be awarded at the ceremony to John E. Abele, Frank A. Bolden, J. Brooks Buxton and Karen Nystrom Meyer. Learn more about these recipients: https://www.uvm.edu/commencement/honorary-degree-recipients
In the event of severe weather
In the event of severe weather, the University Commencement Main Ceremony and College of Arts and Sciences Ceremony will be held in the Multipurpose Facility of the Athletic Complex, and tickets will be required for each ceremony. Guests without tickets may view the ceremonies on large screen displays in the Dudley H. Davis Center. Visit the UVM homepage, www.uvm.edu, or call (802) 656-3309 or toll-free (800) 903-6601, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19, for an announcement regarding this possible change of venue.
Tickets are required for the Larner 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, including for the main ceremony in the event of inclement weather: https://www.uvm.edu/commencement/tickets
The main ceremony and each college’s ceremony will be webcast live here: http://live.vpt.org/uvm/.
Street closing information
The following street closings are planned in conjunction with Commencement: from Friday, May 18, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, May 20, 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 20 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 2018 website at https://www.uvm.edu/commencement/parking-and-shuttle-bus-service. 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 2018 website: www.uvm.edu/commencement.
Source: UVM News