The College of Engineering will award more than 1,000 degrees at two commencement ceremonies this week, the University Commencement at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in Bud Walton Arena and the College of Engineering Commencement at noon Saturday in Barnhill Arena.

"This is my favorite time of year, when we get to take a breath and celebrate the accomplishments of our students and savor the moment before bidding them farewell to their new jobs and adventures," said Kim Needy, dean of the college. "We'll be judged on their future success, and we wish them the very best."

The college's commencement will feature remarks by former dean and recent College of Engineering Hall of Fame inductee John R. English and the college's Outstanding Senior, Jenova Kempkes.

In total, the college will award 1,070 degrees, including 647 undergraduate degrees, 339 master's degrees and 84 doctoral degrees. Among them are students receiving interdisciplinary and online degrees.

English retired in January after serving for nearly three decades at the U of A, his alma mater, where he began his faculty career as an assistant professor of industrial engineering in 1991. He was head of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 2000 to 2007 and dean of Kansas State University College of Engineering from 2007 to 2013.

He returned to U of A in 2013 to serve as dean of the College of Engineering, a post he describes as his favorite job. He went on to serve as vice chancellor for research and innovation from 2020 to 2022, where he focused on expanding research programs and improving operational efficiency across campus.

Outstanding Senior

The college's Outstanding Senior, Jenova Kempkes, will graduate with a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering.

After committing four years to ROTC, Kempkes will attend Uniformed Services University, with plans to serve as a U.S. Army physician after completing medical school.

Her extracurricular activities included working as a U of A Biodesign Program intern, two National Science Foundation I-Corps programs and completing study abroad internships focused on healthcare in Kenya and Thailand.

More information about all commencements can be found here and the College of Engineering commencement here.