Commencement 2018: Share in the Joy

UNIVERSITY NEWS | With LMU’s signature event – undergraduate commencement – just around the corner, our attention is focused on the ceremony that most graduates and their families will remember the rest of their lives.

Ensuring graduates and their families remember the May 5 ceremony for the right reasons is crucial.

The provost has communicated with faculty, and the registrar has communicated with students, conveying the same message: This year’s ceremony has been streamlined for everyone’s comfort, and all participants and guests have been asked to remain and celebrate until the conclusion.

The letter to students stressed the need to be respectful to all the graduates. “The last graduate deserves the same attention and esteem as the first one. As women and men for and with others, your presence ensures that this is a joyful and dignified occasion for everyone in attendance,” wrote Kathy Reed, the university registrar.

Provost Thomas Poon’s message to faculty noted that in past years many students, families, guests, faculty, leaders, and trustees have expressed some frustration as attendees leave the ceremony early. His note expressed the hope that in solidarity with every single undergraduate student, faculty members would remain through the close of the ceremony.

Those familiar with the LMU ceremony will notice some changes. To ensure efficiency, graduates will be approaching the stage from both sides, and individual faculty and student awards will be recognized in the program and on the screen, rather than during the ceremony. This year’s ceremony is anticipated to end at around noon.

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