BY CYNTHIA LEE
UCLA Today Staff
The single College Commencement ceremony is making a comeback after a 12-year absence.
Beginning this June, the College of Letters and Science will forgo its four divisional commencement ceremonies and return to the tradition of holding one official degree-conferring event for all College departments and programs.
Chancellor Albert Carnesale will confer degrees upon all College baccalaureate and master's candidates on June 14, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion. The University Ph.D. Hooding ceremony will follow at 7:30 p.m. in Royce Hall.
Graduating seniors will celebrate at nearly 30 departmental events to be held on June 15 and 16.
"Degrees are not conferred at these departmental events, but their personal scale makes them very meaningful for students and families alike," said College Provost Brian Copenhaver in a letter to seniors.
The change was made after administrators noted that attendance at the College ceremonies had fallen over the last two years, but had risen at departmental festivities.
"Less than a third of nearly 6,000 graduates attended these ceremonies in 2001," Copenhaver explained. "But almost two-thirds participated in ceremonies sponsored by individual departments throughout Commencement Weekend."
Before 1990, commencement was one giant affair held at various venues over the years, recalled John Sandbrook, assistant provost. It was Pauley Pavilion's inaugural event in 1965. Dickson Court, the Hollywood Bowl and Drake Stadium were also once commencement sites. But as crowds mushroomed to upward of 30,000, then-Chancellor Charles E. Young decided to split the single ceremony into four divisional ones.
By giving graduating seniors and their families a chance to attend both the main degree-conferring event and the more intimate departmental ceremonies, college officials said they hope to make the weekend a festive and joyous time for all.
Keynote speaker at the College Commencement will be alumnus Dov Seidman, the CEO of LRN, The Legal Knowledge Company. For details on all commencement events for the College and professional schools, see www.commencement.ucla.edu.
