Spring Commencement to Celebrate Nearly 4,800 Graduates

Photo by Whit Pruitt

The U of A will celebrate its spring graduating class with a full schedule of ceremonies on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, in Bud Walton Arena and Barnhill Arena. The School of Law will conduct its ceremony on Saturday, May 18, at the Fayetteville Town Center.

Mark Pryor, former U.S. senator and Arkansas attorney general, will receive an honorary doctorate from the U of A during the university commencement ceremony. Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, Inc., will be the featured speaker.

More information for families and guests can be found at commencement.uark.edu.

2024 SPRING COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, May 10, 2024

Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences – 3 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Student speaker: Michelle Kamanga, senior graduate with Highest Distinction.

Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences – 4 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Jennifer James, part owner of H&J Land Co.

Saturday, May 11, 2024

University Commencement (only graduate students recognized) – 8:30 a.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Speaker: Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, Inc.
Honorary degree: Mark Pryor, former U.S. senator and Arkansas attorney general

College of Engineering – 12 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Jim McClelland, former CEO of McClelland Consulting Engineers and 1967 U of A graduate

Sam M. Walton College of Business – 12:30 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Speaker: J.K. Symancyk, president and CEO of PetSmart

Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design – 3:30 p.m. (Barnhill Arena)
Speaker: Cathleen McGuigan, former editor-in-chief of Architectural Record.

College of Education and Health Professions – 5 p.m. (Bud Walton Arena)
Speaker: Dr. Fred Bonner II, professor and endowed chair in Educational Leadership and Counseling and executive director and chief scientist of the MACH-III Center at Prairie View A&M University.

Saturday, May 18, 2024

School of Law – 2 p.m. (Fayetteville Town Center)
Speaker: John Dan Kemp, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas. 

GUEST INFORMATION

Each college or school will recognize their graduates at their respective ceremonies. Only graduate students will be recognized at the all university commencement. 

Live streaming of all ceremonies will be available on the U of A YouTube channel.

Doors will open 60 minutes prior to each ceremony, and guests are encouraged to be seated 15 minutes prior to the ceremony's start. 

For ceremonies on campus, all guests will be required to enter through the south or west entrances of Bud Walton Arena and the north and upper-south entrances of Barnhill Arena. 

Tickets are not required at any ceremony, but a clear bag policy will be in effect. Compact umbrellas are allowed, but balloons, wrapped packages and strollers are not allowed in either arena. A full list of prohibited items is available online.

Printed program books will not be distributed to guests, but they will be handed out to graduates and will be available online beginning the week of the campus ceremonies.

Free parking is available in any unrestricted parking lot on campus. Download a map of all parking areas here.  

Campus drop-off for people with disabilities is located at the south entrance of Bud Walton with disabled parking available in lot 60. At Barnhill Arena, parking for people with disabilities can be found in lot 45A and 45B on the west and south sides of the arena, respectively.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.