Commencement is a crowning achievement for most students’ collegiate journey; it also is a celebratory time for faculty and staff who help provide the enriching campus experience for those students. UNC Charlotte will conduct three ceremonies to award degrees to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, marking the ceremonial end to another academic year.
Approximately 3,750 students, along with their families and friends, are expected to attend one of the commencement ceremonies. The first will take place at 1 p.m., Friday, May 8, for the Belk College of Business, College of Computing and Informatics, College of Health and Human Services and the Graduate School.
On Saturday, May 9, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences—the University’s largest college—and the Graduate School will award degrees at 10 a.m.; the College of Arts + Architecture, College of Education, the William States Lee College of Engineering and the Graduate School will confer degrees at 3 p.m.
During the Saturday morning ceremony, UNC Charlotte will present Jerry Richardson with an honorary Doctorate of Public Service. Richardson is the owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, and he has been an ardent backer of the citizens of Charlotte, the region and the Carolinas. He’s been a strong supporter of UNC Charlotte, too. He teamed up with banking pioneer Hugh McColl to provide funding for the University’s football surface, McColl-Richardson Field. He also provided a substantial gift that helped make Charlotte 49ers football a reality. UNC Charlotte’s football stadium is named in his honor and an endowed football scholarship is named for his late son, Jon Richardson.
Tracy Rock, UNC Charlotte professor of reading and elementary education, will be recognized as a recipient of the 2015 UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award at the Saturday afternoon ceremony. This annual honor is given to one professor at each of North Carolina’s public universities.
UNC Charlotte will offer a live video stream of the ceremonies via the Web. Residents in the Charlotte area can tune into a live broadcast of each ceremony through UNC Charlotte Cable Television on Time Warner Cable, Channel 22.
Note: Construction projects are currently under way on U.S. Hwy 29 (North Tryon Street) and N.C. Hwy 49 (University City Boulevard). Individuals should allow for extra time to enter/exit campus and park for commencement ceremonies.