WMU to confer some 1,300 degrees during summer commencement

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University will grant degrees to graduating students during two commencement ceremonies Saturday, June 29, in Miller Auditorium.

WMU President John M. Dunn will preside over the ceremonies as the University confers more than 1,300 degrees: 862 at the bachelor's level, 460 at the master's level and 21 at the doctoral level.

Schedule

Each of the two summer 2013 ceremonies is geared toward students who are graduating from a particular set of degree-granting academic units.

• The 9 a.m. ceremony is for graduates of Extended University Programs as well as the colleges of Education and Human Development, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Health and Human Services.
• The noon ceremony is for graduates of the Haworth College of Business as well as the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, and Fine Arts.

June's graduation exercises will feature music by the Western Brass Ensemble, conducted by Sara Martin. The WMU chapter of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia professional music fraternity, conducted by Michael Miller, will sing the national anthem and alma mater. Graduates will be welcomed as new alumni by Philip Chludzinski, president of the WMU Alumni Association.

Tickets

Tickets are required for guests to attend commencement, and each participating student is eligible to reserve up to six guest tickets. Should there be extra tickets, students who are participating in one of the exercises may request up to two more tickets on a first-come, first-served basis from the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office beginning at 11 a.m., Friday June 28.

After all ticketed guests have been seated in the auditorium, any remaining open seats will be offered to those without tickets. All seats are general admission, but arrangements for wheelchair or disabled seating may be made by calling (269) 387-2320.

Live coverage and photos

The day of graduation, both of the June ceremonies will be available online as live webcasts. Each will be available after the ceremony in a downloadable format.
In addition, both will be broadcast live on Channel 5 of EduCABLE, the University's cable television system, and throughout the Kalamazoo area on Public Media Network Channel 99, a public access channel on the Charter Communications commercial cable television system.

A professional photographer will take pictures of each graduating student. Color proofs will be sent to the students, but purchase of prints is optional.

Parking

Commencement guests should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before each ceremony. Free parking will be available in all parking areas adjacent to Miller Auditorium.

More information

For complete graduation information, including how to view the live webcast or obtain tickets or student photos, visit wmich.edu/commencement.

The University only conducts formal graduation exercises in December, April and June, although WMU students also may graduate in August. Bachelor's and master's degree recipients who graduate in August are reflected in June's graduation statistics, as they have the option of participating in the June commencement ceremonies. Doctoral degree recipients who graduate in August are reflected in the upcoming fall's graduation statistics, as they have the option of participating in those formal commencement ceremonies.

A final list of June 2013 graduates is expected to be distributed to hometown newspapers in August. The list of August 2013 graduates is expected to be distributed in October.