Western Carolina University will hold a pair of commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 15, to recognize its fall graduating class and a group of newly minted university alumni who were awarded degrees after this year’s summer school sessions.
Commencement for undergraduate and graduate students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts will begin at 10 a.m. That will be followed by a 3 p.m. ceremony for undergraduate and graduate students from the colleges of Business, Health and Human Sciences, and Engineering and Technology. Both events will take place at Ramsey Regional Activity Center and are open to everyone, with no tickets are required for admission.
WCU’s fall class includes about 770 students who currently are working on final academic requirements to receive their degrees and who qualify to participate in the ceremony. A group of about 300 WCU graduates who completed degree requirements during summer school and who already have been conferred degrees also are eligible to don caps and gowns for the events.
A graduating student will deliver the primary address at each commencement. James Driver Blythe, a criminal justice major from Cherokee, will speak at the morning ceremony while Emma Mahala Mooney, a Dobson native and business administration and law major, will provide remarks for the afternoon event.
Individuals attending the commencements should enter the Ramsey Center through the upper concourse doors. Those with physical disabilities should use the northeastern upper entrance, adjacent to the stands of E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
For those who cannot attend, the ceremonies will be streamed live through a link on the WCU home page – www.wcu.edu.
For more information about the two commencements, contact the WCU Registrar’s Office at 828-227-7216 or email registrarsoffice@wcu.edu.