It’s that time of year again. Saturday, June 16, will mark the University’s 124th commencement, and thousands of students dressed in caps and gowns will march through McArthur Court, knowing their years of hard work have finally paid off.
While smiling graduates and happy families should be the same, the ceremony for the class of 2000-01 is a little different from previous years, both in structure and the professional interests of the 3,883 graduates.
Besides being the first time in the last decade that the ceremony will be held indoors, there are also nearly 100 more journalism majors graduating this year than last.
The ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. All University parking will be free, and Oregon Public Broadcasting will air the event live.
Mary Hudzikiewicz, assistant dean of student life and commencement coordinator, said she has been organizing University graduations since the early 1970s.
“I always look forward to it,” she said.
The class of 2000-01 includes 2,128 female graduates and 1,755 male graduates. The oldest graduate earning a bachelor’s degree is 59, and the youngest is 19. More than 250 graduates are double majors, while five are triple majors.
Hudzikiewicz said the University’s graduation ceremony has only been planned indoors twice since she has been the coordinator, the last time being in 1990. She said the University chose to hold graduation indoors this year in an effort to try something new.
“We want to see if there’s a better way of holding commencement,” she said. “We think this will make it more personal by bringing it into a smaller venue.”
But one aspect of the ceremony that won’t be smaller is the number of graduating journalism majors. This year there are 311, more than any other University major.
Greg Kerber, assistant dean for student services at the School of Journalism and Communication, said he and the rest of the school’s faculty are pleased but also surprised with the numbers. He said usually the business school has the highest number of graduates.
“We couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “We knew we were large, but we didn’t think we’d have more graduates than business.”
Kerber said increased University recruiting for all majors and the journalism school’s timeliness in awarding freshman scholarships are likely reasons for the increased number of graduates.
“In the past few years we’ve been trying to get the freshman scholarship offers out earlier than some of the other universities,” he said.
Kerber said recruiting efforts have shown students that there are more options at the school than just news writing, and he said there has been an increase in the number of advertising and electronic media students over the last few years.
“We knew we’ve been seeing more students,” he said. “It makes things very positive over here.”
In addition to the students, three community figures will also be honored. Umpqua tribal leader Sue Shaffer, Eugene attorney John Jaqua and Portland businessman Harold Schnitzer will receive the Distinguished Service Award.
David Hubin, the University executive assistant president and chairman of the award committee, said this is one of the highest awards given by University faculty.
“Each recipient has made significant contributions to the well-being and cultural richness of Oregonians,” he said.
Jack Rice, the associate vice provost for academic affairs, said he has attended several University commencement ceremonies.
“It’s always a special time of year,” he said.
Rice said while some students opt to attend only their department or major’s private ceremony, he thinks most students do not miss the main event.
“I’ve always thought the attendance to be pretty good,” he said. “Although some may choose to skip, the majority usually attend both of their ceremonies.”
Rice said he wishes the graduates well.
“Enjoy the day,” he said. “And think back on your years at the University with pride.”