By Larry B. Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
The cheers of football and basketball fans--sounds typically heard in Sanford Stadium and  Stegeman Coliseum--will be replaced by the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” and the applause of proud parents and families May 12 as the university holds spring semester commencement.
An estimated 3,300 seniors are eligible to participate in the ceremony for undergraduates at 9:30 a.m. in Sanford Stadium, with Gov. Roy Barnes as the speaker.
An estimated 900 candidates for master’s, doctoral and specialist degrees are eligible to take part in the ceremony for graduate students at 2:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. James Muyskens, CEO of the Gwinnett University Center, will be the speaker.
The 198th commencement is for students who complete degree requirements at the end of spring semester. The exact number of eligible degree recipients won’t be known until final exams are over just prior to the ceremonies. Typically, about half those eligible to participate actually attend Commencement.
 In case of inclement weather, the undergraduate ceremony will be moved to Stegeman Coliseum and split into two sessions, at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. A decision to move will be made by 7 a.m. and announced on Athens radio stations and the UGA Today Web site (www.uga.edu/news).
The undergraduate ceremony will be shown in the Tate Student Center theater over closed-circuit television. The screening will occur whether the exercises are in the stadium or the coliseum.
A graduating senior, Sanchia “Chi Chi” Patrick of Peachtree City, will speak as the representative of the class of 2001. Patrick, who will receive a degree in public relations, served this past year as vice president of the Student Government Association.
Forty-three students who have maintained perfect 4.0 grade point averages will be recognized as First Honor Graduates.
This will be the third and last commencement UGA will hold during the current academic year, which ends June 30. Ceremonies were held last August for students who completed degree requirements at the end of summer semester, and in December for students who completed requirements at the end of fall semester. |
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