The date and plans for this year’s commencement were finalized this week as seniors graduating this June prepare to participate in all-campus commencement ceremonies and college graduation rites on the same day for the first time in recent history.
Guardian
The three graduate programs will conclude earlier in June, whereas the five undergraduate colleges will hold their events on Sunday, June 17, along with a campus-wide ceremony on RIMAC field. Previously, the five colleges had events spread across a weekend and only in recent years have all-campus ceremonies been held.
This year’s speaker will be Dr. Patch Adams, best known by Robin Williams’ portrayal of his holistic approach to medicine in the 1998 film bearing his name. Students may remember that last year’s all-campus ceremony had to be canceled at the last minute, as Maya Angelou unexpectedly faced double knee surgery. Previous speakers have included then-President Bill Clinton in 1997 and House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1998.
A.S. President Doc Khaleghi and Festivals Coordinator Scott Mantell have pursued speakers and worked on invitation letters since last summer in an attempt to secure a keynote speaker for the all-campus event. One of the first on the list was Adams.
“”All-campus commencement has always been a tenuous ceremony,”” Kaleghi said. “”Securing support from the administration was difficult, and we had a limited time to publicize it.””
Over the summer the A.S. Council worked to make certain the chancellor and provosts supported the idea. After acquiring their backing, the Council had until Dec. 31 to acquire a speaker. They met this deadline, and Adams has committed in writing to giving the commencement address.
The staff at RIMAC has also been working for some time to prepare the facilities to receive the thousands of guests that are expected to arrive on campus during the various graduation exercises.
“”We have to turn RIMAC field into a commencement site and turn Marshall field into a twice-used area,”” said Steve Evans, production manager for RIMAC.
Though it is unknown exactly how many will be attending, staff will set up 8,000 chairs at RIMAC and slightly less than that for Marshall college’s graduation. The other colleges are expected to draw 6,000 to 7,000 people each. In comparison to previous years, this number is much lower than the 25,000 chairs set up for Clinton’s visit, though it still presents a formidable challenge.
“”Previous commencements went perfectly,”” Evans said. “”We received an amazing amount of support.””
The RIMAC staff is currently working to finalize the event budget and ordering the logistical elements, such as staging and sound equipment, and hopes to have these items furnished by the end of March.
In addition to meeting with the various campus organizers, Evans will also form a logistics committee responsible for the specifics of the program. It will be this committee that sets the final schedule for the ceremony and makes decisions regarding items such as band involvement and the chronology of events.
“”We’re really, really excited about this new direction,”” Evans said in reference to the decision to do everything on one day and feature a less political and more educational keynote speaker.
The organizers have worked hard to address the concerns of parking, as the campus has to handle an estimated 35,000 visitors between the five undergraduate and two graduate commencements that weekend. Shuttles will take guests from the east campus parking lots to the San Diego Supercomputer Center area, though not to the Marshall lot. Families of Muir and Warren graduates are urged to park in the east campus lots, Marshall and Revelle families will be directed to the Muir and north campus lots, and Roosevelt families to the north campus lots. Visitors are advised to arrive early, as gridlock is a definite possibility.
It is suggested that families plan on arriving in the morning, as college commencements will follow the all-campus ceremony.
