U of A Fall Commencement to Be Held Dec. 21 in Barnhill Arena

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U of A students attending 2012 fall commencement

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – More than 900 University of Arkansas graduates are expected to “walk” during the fall commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, in Barnhill Arena. The ceremony recognizes graduates of every college on campus, in one unified ceremony. A total of 1,959 undergraduate and graduate students have applied for fall graduation this year.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Sister Helen Prejean, internationally known death penalty opponent and author of Dead Man Walking, and to Frances James, a groundbreaking researcher in ornithology and ecology and one of the first women to receive a doctorate in biological sciences at the U of A.

Prejean will receive a Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree, and James will receive a Doctor of Arts and Sciences degree. Both women will address the graduates during the ceremony.

Students who are graduating can begin checking in at 7:45 a.m. at Walker Pavilion, the indoor football practice facility west of Barnhill Arena. Students can only enter at the east entrance of Walker Pavilion, and must be lined up by 8:30 a.m.

It is recommended that students wear warm clothing under their graduation robes, as it will be cool in the pavilion during the line-up. Students will not be able to leave personal items, such as coats or purses in Walker Pavilion, and should make arrangements with their guests or family members to take care of those items. The pavilion will be locked immediately after all students are escorted out to Barnhill for the commencement ceremony.

Faculty need to arrive by 8 a.m. for the processional line up. General faculty should check in at the tunnel on the east side of Barnhill arena. Faculty who are escorting students will check in at Walker Pavilion.

Barnhill Arena will open at 7:30 a.m. for family members and guests, who can enter through the north, south and east entrances of Barnhill. All bags will be checked for security purposes and no wrapped packages, umbrellas or strollers are allowed in the building.

Free parking is available in any unrestricted parking lot on campus. General parking lots nearby Barnhill Arena include Lot 44 (north of Razorback Stadium), the Stadium Street Parking Garage, and the Meadow Street Parking Garage.

People with disabilities can be dropped off at the southwest entrance of Barnhill, with disabled parking available in lot 59.

No tickets are required for the commencement ceremony and there is general seating within the arena. Seating for people with disabilities is available on the floor of the arena.

A pre-ceremony concert will begin at 8:30 a.m., featuring the Boston Mountain Brassworks, the U of A resident faculty brass quintet.

Live web streaming of the ceremony will be available at new.livestream.com/uark/events/2598266.  

Additional information regarding the fall commencement, including maps for parking and check-in, can be found at the registrar’s fall commencement webpage.