Procedures for Fall Commencement Today

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas fall commencement will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 in Barnhill Arena. Rain is in the forecast, so people attending the event will be allowed to bring small or compact umbrellas into the arena.

For the first time students who are graduating will check in at Walker Pavilion, the indoor football practice facility west of Barnhill Arena. Check in begins at 7:45 a.m. 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 to Barnhill for the commencement ceremony.

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

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, large umbrellas or strollers are allowed in the building.

Free parking is available in any unrestricted parking lot on campus. General parking lots near 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.

Maps for parking and check-in can be found at the registrar’s fall commencement webpage.

No tickets are required for the commencement ceremony. There is general seating within the arena and 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.

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.

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

 Additional information regarding the fall commencement can be found at the registrar’s fall commencement webpage.