Wednesday, May 02, 2018

As one of the fastest-growing campuses in the UNC System, it will take UNCW five ceremonies to graduate the more than 2,200 undergraduates, 406 graduate students and 10 doctoral students who make up the Class of 2018.

The 95th commencement exercises will take place May 4 and 5 in Trask Coliseum. Graduates should arrive at Hanover Gym (adjacent to Trask) one hour prior to the start of their ceremony. Faculty are to report to room 119 in Trask 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.

The doors to Trask will open one hour prior to the start of each ceremony. Tickets are not required and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The ceremonies will be streamed live for remote viewing and rebroadcasts available online at a later date.

Schedule and speakers are as follows:

Friday, May 4:
2 p.m. - Cameron School of Business
Guest speaker: Judy Tharp ’78, President and CEO of Piedmont Advantage Credit Union

5 p.m. - Watson College of Education
Guest speaker: Sen. Howard N. Lee, President of Howard N. Lee Institute

Saturday, May 5:
9 a.m. – College of Health and Human Services
Guest speaker: Chad Porter ’98, Zig Ziglar International Motivational Speaker

12 p.m. – Sciences and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences
Guest speaker: Yousry Sayed, President and CEO of Quality Chemical Laboratories and former UNCW administrator
Presentation of honorary degree to Hannah Dawson Gage, former member and chair of the UNCW Board of Trustees and UNC Board of Governors

4 p.m. - Creative Arts, Social Sciences and Graduate Liberal Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences
Guest speaker: Yousry Sayed, President and CEO of Quality Chemical Laboratories and former UNCW administrator

Increased traffic on campus and in the surrounding area is expected throughout the weekend. Commencement participants and guests should plan ahead and allow ample drive time to make it to events on time. Please exercise caution and patience.

Guests and graduates are encouraged to carpool to maximize the use of all available parking spaces. Parking lots A (between Hoggard and Hanover Hall), K (beside Trask and the tennis courts) and Eaton Plaza (between Trask and James Hall) will be closed to normal parking in support of commencement.

Commencement highlights will be available in an online photo gallery produced by the Office of University Relations. Social media users should use #UNCW2018 in commencement-related posts.

For additional information and details, see the official commencement website.

-- Caroline Cropp

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