NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma will honor the achievements of the Class of 2024 during individual Commencement ceremonies, scheduled to begin Thursday, May 9 at Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave. A time-honored tradition filled with pageantry, graduates and guests will be welcomed by bagpipers and color guards at each ceremony.
All Class of 2024 graduation candidates and their guests are invited to attend the ceremonies, where each graduate will be individually recognized, have their pictures taken and their diploma covers presented by their deans. The university will also present honorary degrees to four outstanding individuals during the Commencement ceremonies held the evening of Friday, May 10, and the morning of Saturday, May 11.
Each ceremony will begin with a pre-Commencement concert with music provided by OU wind symphony and brass percussion performers. Flags representing OU’s international and Native American communities will be displayed during the ceremonies.
The ceremonies will feature the official conferring of degrees. OU expects to confer 9,842 degrees to students who completed their coursework during the spring 2024 semester, as well as summer and December 2023 graduates. This year, OU will award approximately 6,157 bachelor’s degrees, 2,479 master’s degrees, 374 doctoral degrees, 812 professional degrees and 116 college-level certificates.
Doors will open one hour prior to each ceremony, and guests will be seated in the seating bowl of the arena. Doctoral, master’s and undergraduates should enter through any door and proceed to the seating area on the arena floor. Sign language and interpreting services for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing will be available in section 124, and captioning will be available on the scoreboard screens. The southeast corner lower legacy court is the preferred accessibility entrance for guests who need special accommodations. To obtain accessibility parking and seating passes, guests should complete this form.
PARKING
Parking is available for guests and graduates outside of Lloyd Noble Center. Accessible parking is located on the southeast side of the arena. Commencement ushers will be available before and after the ceremony with wheelchairs and golf carts to assist guests with accessible needs.
COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE
All Commencement ceremonies will be held at Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., Norman, OK 73019. Please direct any questions to commencement@ou.edu.
Thursday, May 9
Friday, May 10
Saturday, May 11
Sunday, May 12
Saturday, May 18
OU-Tulsa will honor graduates in a Commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, at Donald W. Reynolds Center, 3208 E. 8th St. Tulsa, OK 74104.”
Each ceremony will be livestreamed. For more information on OU’s Commencement ceremonies, visit ou.edu/commencement or email commencement@ou.edu.
VENUE SECURITY
In an effort to make graduation weekend as safe as possible, the following security procedures will be in place.
All guests and graduates will pass through a security screening before entry to the graduation venue, with medical lanes for those who require alternate screening methods.
The clear bag policy is also in effect. The approved clear bag size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. The policy will allow non-transparent clutch purses that are no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. No other bags or purses, including diaper bags, will be permitted. The limit on bags is one per person. All carried-in items, including bags that are necessary for medical equipment, will be searched by security personnel prior to entering the venue.
Express lanes will be available for those who do not bring bags to the venue.
Items that are allowed for graduation ceremonies include:
Prohibited items must be returned to the owner’s car or discarded, and any unlawful items are subject to confiscation.
Guests are also reminded that all OU facilities are tobacco, electronic cigarette and vaping device-free. The use of all tobacco products including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes and vaping devices is prohibited anywhere on the OU grounds or campus.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information about the university, visit ou.edu.
Doris Benbrook, Ph.D., a Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named Associate Director for Translational Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma.
The Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will gain a new deputy director, Matthew Potthoff, Ph.D., effective January 1. Potthoff will also hold the title of Harold Hamm Endowed Chair in Clinical Diabetes Research and professor of biochemistry and physiology, with a secondary appointment in the division of neurology in the OU School of Medicine.
James George, M.D., and Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, M.D., were recognized by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) during its annual meeting Dec. 7-10.
