Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
Dec. 6, 1996

Fall commencement is Dec. 20-21

by Anne Dolan
An estimated 1,650 students will receive degrees during Iowa State's two fall commencement ceremonies.

During the graduate ceremony, which begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, in C. Y. Stephens, approximately 225 students will receive master's degrees and another 100 will receive Ph.D. awards. Walt Fehr, distinguished professor in agriculture and professor of agronomy, will give the address, titled "The Delicate Balance."

The undergraduate ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, in Hilton Coliseum. The early start time accommodates the ISU Holiday Classic men's basketball tournament in Hilton that evening. An estimated 1,325 students will receive bachelor's degrees. Richard McCormick, chairman, president and chief executive officer of US West Inc., will speak. A Fort Dodge native, McCormick received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Iowa State in 1961.

With the exception of Veterinary Medicine, which doesn't confer D.V.M. degrees fall semester, all colleges will host a graduation event Saturday morning preceding the undergraduate ceremony. (Commencement schedule)

Two luncheons will be offered between the college events and the all-university ceremony for graduating students and their guests. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are invited to a brunch served from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Maple-Willow-Larch dining hall. Tickets cost $9 for adults and $5 for children (those under 3 eat free) and should be purchased in 243 Catt by Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Students in all other colleges are invited to a luncheon buffet served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the second floor lobby of Scheman. Tickets cost $11 for adults and $5 for children and should be purchased in 158 Memorial Union by Friday, Dec. 13.

A good idea
It's just a sentence -- a comment about job plans or academic achievements or something else -- as the graduate is crossing the stage. But it adds a nice personal touch to the College of Agriculture's convocation and is drawing good reviews from graduates and parents.

When College of Agriculture students check in with their advisers prior to graduation, they receive 3 X 5 cards on which they script what they would like said during the convocation. Officials edit the comments to an appropriate length and give them back to the students. As they approach the stage, the graduates hand their cards to a reader.

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Revised 12/5/96