The event will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 13, at The Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Ruth J. Simmons, President Emerita and first female president of Brown University, will serve as OU’s 2016 Commencement speaker to honor the memory of the first woman President of Cornell University, OU alumna Elizabeth Garrett, who was initially scheduled to deliver the Commencement address and who recently passed away.
The processional of the president’s platform party, faculty and graduates to the stadium will begin at 7 p.m. Friday along the Brooks Mall area, located north of the stadium. During the pre-Commencement concert, beginning at 6:15 p.m., family and friends of graduates can view a presentation on SoonerVision of photos of OU’s graduating class members who have had their photos taken for the Sooner yearbook.
Music will be provided by the University Commencement Choir. International and Native American flags representing OU’s international and Native American students and faculty will be displayed during the ceremony.
The Commencement ceremony will feature the official conferring of degrees by OU President David L. Boren. During Commencement, OU expects to confer degrees to more than 8,850 students who completed their coursework in the spring, as well as summer and December 2015 graduates. May 2016 candidates include students who are earning a total of approximately 3,736 bachelor’s degrees, 930 master’s degrees, 120 doctoral degrees and 712 professional degrees. Also eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremony are 3,354 students who graduated in August 2015 or December 2015. The ceremony will be capped off with a gigantic fireworks display as a salute to the Classes of 2015 and 2016.
Stadium gates will open at 5:30 p.m., and guests are asked to enter the stadium through gates 5, 6, 7 and the northern side of gate 9. The southern side of gate 9 is the preferred accessibility entrance for guests who need special accommodation. To obtain Special Services parking and seating passes, please contact the Graduation Office at (405) 325-0841.
Parking will be available at Lloyd Noble Center, and complimentary shuttle service will run continuously from 5 p.m. until the last shuttle leaves from the stadium at 11 p.m. for those attending Commencement.
Further information on Commencement and a complete schedule of college convocations are posted to the university’s Commencement website at ou.edu/commencement.
For additional information on Commencement, please contact the Graduation Office at (405) 325-0841 or visit ou.edu/commencement.
