EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 10, 2011) -- More than 1,000 degree candidates are eligible to
participate in the University of Oregon's 2011 summer commencement exercises at
10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 13.

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

Martinez has served as a faculty member in the College of
Education since 1998. In 2005, he became the UO's chief diversity officer and
leader of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. In September, he
will return to teaching and scholarship full time.

Parking
for summer commencement is available in university parking lots and on nearby
streets. There will be a drop-off area for guests near the Knight Library
entrance. Designated parking is available at hooded meters on Kincaid Street near
15th Avenue. Due to road construction, visitors are encouraged to access the
area via 14th Street. A sign-language interpreter will be available at the
ceremony.

Summer
term's 1,049 degree candidates will receive 1,093 degrees and certificates. The
university will award 766 bachelor's degrees, 31 certificates, 237 master's
degrees, 58 doctoral degrees and one law degree.

More
information is online at the Office
of the Dean of Students.

About the University of Oregon
The
University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S.
universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research
Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher
Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the
Association of American Universities.

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

###