EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 2, 2011) - The University of Oregon is pleased to announce the celebration and commencement of 4,498 graduates who are eligible to participate in commencement exercises on Monday, June 13.
The UO encourages graduates, their families and members of the community to participate in the morning graduation ceremony and celebrate with the exciting commencement activities planned throughout campus.
Commencement will begin with an academic parade at 9 a.m. called Duck Walk. The academic parade will start at Gerlinger Hall and process down 15th Street to Hayward Field. Students are encouraged to carry signs, decorate their mortar board cap or wear symbolic family or organizational pieces to celebrate the festive atmosphere and their accomplishments as they enter Hayward Field through a large "O".
Once students and faculty arrive at Hayward Field, graduates will walk a lap around the track before being seated on the infield to start the University Graduation Celebration from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Hayward Field will open at 7:30 a.m. for guest seating and all guests should be seated by 9 a.m. Guests can enter through Gate 3, located on the corner of 15th Avenue and Agate Street. The event is open to the public and does not require a ticket. Guests needing access to a sign language interpreter will want to sit in Section M. Seating for guests using wheelchairs will be located on the track directly in front of Section M and L.
The ceremony, presided over by UO President Richard Lariviere, will include student speakers, video presentations of campus events over the past several years and keynote remarks from Margaret Moore, the first graduate of the UO Clark Honors College in 1961, who went on to a successful career as an educator, school psychologist and administrator in the Issaquah, Wash. school district. Additional information about Moore is available here.
The ceremony will showcase student achievements over the past four years and the experiences shared as students. Each student who participates in the celebration will receive a commemorative gift, honoring all of their individual hard work. A live broadcast of commencement will be available online at: http://media.uoregon.edu/channel/.
Following the University Graduation Celebration, schools, colleges and departments will hold individual ceremonies at either noon or 3 p.m. in various locations on campus. For specific locations please visit http://bit.ly/loOscn. In total, 4,498 students are eligible to receive 4,695 degrees. Additional fact sheet details are available here.
Parking on UO's main campus during Commencement is strongly discouraged. All guests are encouraged to park at Autzen Stadium and use free shuttle busses to transit to campus. The busses will run continuously between Autzen Stadium and the corner of 13th Avenue and University Street beginning at 7 a.m. with the last shuttle leaving campus at 5:45 p.m.
Guests with mobility limitations or who require accessible transport should plan to park in University lots 45, 52, and 53. A campus parking map is available here. A shuttle service will be available to transport folks to sites in the center of campus.
To encourage graduates and their families to enjoy and celebrate on campus, the UO will hold Grad Fest events around the Erb Memorial Union (EMU). Grad Fest will include food vendors, dining areas, a photo booth, DuckStore, student performances, activity area for children, relaxation room, craft center and other activities throughout the day. Grad Fest will begin at 11 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. at 13th Avenue and University Street. UO museums and academic buildings on campus will be open for public visits as well.
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, UO communications, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Source: David McCandless, UO family programs, 541-346-1148, davidm@uoregon.edu
Links: UO Commencement information, http://studentlife.uoregon.edu/CommencementGraduation/SpringGraduation/t... ; Commencement map, http://infographics.uoregon.edu/campusMaps/Commencement.pdf
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