As the semester draws to a close, the University of Rhode Island’s fall graduation ceremony has grown in popularity, with an approximate registration of 550 students to graduate.
The university’s fall graduation debuted last year with only 400 students, according to Karen Sechio, associate director of university events at URI. The second annual fall commencement will take place on Dec. 14 at 10 a.m at the Ryan Center.
The students graduating this semester are from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, College of Pharmacy, College of Engineering and the Graduate School of Oceanography, according to Sechio.
“We’re excited,” Sechio said. “[Fall commencement] is growing with a lot of participation and hype.”
URI President Marc Parlange will speak at the commencement alongside Cortney Nicolato ’01, a URI Board of Trustees member, according to Sechio. Nicolato will host the conferral of degrees as students have their names read, walk across the stage and have professional photos taken, according to the commencement website . Barbara Wolfe, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, is also expected to speak at the graduation. The student speaker is yet to be announced.
Students have the chance to choose to participate in the December ceremony if they meet their course requirements, according to Sechio. Registration concluded on Oct. 18.
Students walking in the ceremony are encouraged to participate in the cap contest , according to Sechio. By submitting a photo of the individual graduate’s cap on Instagram with the #MyURICap or emailing the photos to [email protected] , participants are eligible for prizes and recognition. All submissions are due Tuesday.
Graduates can also use the #RhodyGrad on social media to join the community in celebrating the accomplishment, according to the commencement website.
The fall commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on the university’s website and additional information regarding parking can be found there.