SMU's May 17 Commencement to celebrate academic achievements
SMU will celebrate the academic accomplishments of more than 2,100 students at its 99th annual Commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17.
DALLAS (SMU) – SMU will celebrate the academic accomplishments of more than 2,100 students at its 99th annual Commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17, in the newly renovated Moody Coliseum.
Guests are urged to arrive early as seating in the coliseum is limited to four guests per student. Additional seating will be available for a simulcast of the event at Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. The ceremony also will be broadcast outside Moody Coliseum on Mustang Plaza, and there will be a live webcast of the ceremony on the Internet at http://www.smu.edu/live.
SMU wants to see photos of graduates in their graduation garb and hear about their next destination — job, grad school, travel, whatever. Post by May 31 on Twitter, Instagram or the SMU Facebook page using #SMU2014 to have a chance to win two Southwest Airlines vouchers or other great prizes. See complete contest rules.
Featured speaker at Commencement will be Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Elected mayor in 2011, he has created new strategies for growing the arts through the Mayor’s Business Arts Initiative, has used his visibility as mayor to organize a campaign against domestic violence and has put Dallas in the spotlight by taking a leading role with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Click here to read more about Mayor Rawlings.
During the ceremony, honorary degrees will be conferred upon Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson, Methodist historian Richard P. Heitzenrater and SMU law professor Joseph W. McKnight. Each honorary degree recipient will be included in symposia, which are free and open to the public.
Diploma presentation ceremonies will be held at individual schools. Click here for the commencement schedule.
The Baccalaureate Service will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, May 16, in McFarlin Auditorium. It will be broadcast live at http://www.smu.edu/live.
For a map of the SMU campus, visit www.smu.edu/maps.
Those attending Commencement activities at SMU on May 16 - 17 may park for free in any of the University's parking facilities, including the surface lots and:
- Binkley Garage - At Binkley Avenue and Ownby Drive
- Moody Garage - Airline Road and SMU Boulevard
- Airline Garage - Airline Road and Daniel Avenue
- Mustang Parking Center – 6001 Bush Avenue at Binkley Avenue
- Law Parking Center – Daniel Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue
- Meadows Parking Center – Bishop Boulevard and Schlegel Street north of Mockingbird Lane
No parking will be permitted on Bishop Boulevard. Laws and regulations that prohibit parking in fire lanes and limit who may use areas reserved for the disabled are strictly enforced. Please allow extra time to find parking as construction activities may affect routes from parking areas to various locations on campus.
For more information about Commencement weekend, click here.
Class Photo - Click for hi-res version.
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