EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 10, 2009) -- More than 1,000 degree candidates are eligible to participate in the University of Oregon's 2009 summer commencement exercises at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 15.

Charles Martinez, vice president for Institutional Equity and Diversity, will speak to the graduates during the outdoor ceremony on the Memorial Quadrangle on the west edge of the University of Oregon campus. Tickets are not needed for the event.

Martinez is the university's chief diversity officer. He is a clinical psychologist who has served as a faculty member in the College of Education since 1998, most recently in the role of associate professor/senior research associate in Educational Leadership.

Parking is available in university parking lots and on nearby streets. There will be a drop-off area for guests near the Knight Library entrance. Handicap parking is available at hooded meters on Kincaid Street between 13th and 15th Avenues.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will move to McArthur Court, 1601 University St., and degree candidates will assemble on the covered tennis courts behind the Student Recreation Center.

Summer term's 1,052 degree candidates will receive 1,202 degrees and certificates. The university will award 727 bachelor's degrees, 148 certificates, 274 master's degrees, 50 doctoral degrees and three law degrees.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

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