WMU to confer 2,700 degrees during spring commencement

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University will grant degrees to more than 2,700 students during four commencement ceremonies Saturday, April 28, in Miller Auditorium.

WMU President John M. Dunn will preside over the spring 2012 ceremonies. In all, the University will confer 2,737 degrees: 2,181 at the bachelor's level, 522 at the master's level and 34 at the doctoral level.

Schedule

• 9 a.m.--Ceremony for graduates of the colleges of Education and Human Development and of Fine Arts.
• Noon--Ceremony for graduates of Extended University Programs and the colleges of Engineering and Applied Sciences and of Health and Human Services.
• 3 p.m.--Ceremony for graduates of the College of Aviation and the Haworth College of Business.
• 6 p.m.--Ceremony for graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The April graduation exercises will feature music by the Western Brass Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Deanna Swoboda. The national anthem and alma mater will be sung by the University's chapter of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia professional music fraternity, conducted by Andrew Miller. Graduates will be welcomed as new alumni of the University 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 four 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 box office beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, April 27.

After all ticketed guests have been seated in Miller, any remaining open seats will be offered to those without tickets. Guests without tickets may view the commencement ceremonies live on a large screen in Brown Hall, which is near Miller.

Live coverage

All of the April ceremonies will be broadcast live on Channel 5 of EduCABLE, the University's cable television system. They also may be broadcast throughout the Kalamazoo area on the Public Media Network (typically Channel 99), a local public access service on the Charter Communications commercial cable television system.

A live webcast of the ceremonies will be available online to a limited number of people the day of graduation. Those planning to view the webcast will need to install Windows Media Player on their computers.

Recordings and photos

The University's TotalTech store will be providing professional recordings of the ceremonies in DVD and VHS formats. The recordings will cost $25 each, plus shipping and formatting fees if any, and may be ordered by mail or calling (269) 387-3930.

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

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