The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is celebrating its Spring 2022 graduates during Commencement ceremonies today and Saturday, when a total of 1,753 degrees will be conferred.
Individual Commencement ceremonies for the UL Lafayette’s eight academic colleges and Graduate School are being held at the Cajundome and Convention Center. Ceremonies for the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Nursing & Health Sciences, Sciences and the
Graduate School were Friday. Ceremonies for the colleges of the Arts, Engineering, Liberal Arts and University College are Saturday.
The University will confer 1,387 bachelor’s degrees, 328 master’s degrees, 36 doctoral degrees and two certificates. Graduates are from 55 Louisiana parishes, 36 states and U.S. territories, and 33 foreign countries.
The Graduate School has broken several records this semester. Its 365 total graduate degrees and certificates are the most in University history. Among that number are the highest number of master’s degrees ever awarded and the second-most doctoral degrees in school history.
The Spring 2022 class is also notable for diversity. It is tied for the largest number of graduates of Hispanic descent (115) and the second-largest number of minority graduates (478).
The class also stands out for academic achievement. Its 28 summa cum laude graduates – those with perfect 4.0 GPAs – set another school record; the University’s 432 honors graduates with GPAs of 3.5 or higher are the second-most ever.
Spring 2022 graduates hold a special distinction, as well. They are members of the first graduating class since the University’s official designation as a Carnegie Research 1 University. Graduates from just 3% of colleges and universities in the United States hold degrees from a top-tier R1 institution.
During the ceremony for the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, told graduates that “the University believes in your professional achievements and success.”
“As an institution, we have high expectations for our alumni – and the excellence embodied by the graduates of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences certainly has raised that bar throughout the years,” he said.
Savoie also awarded an honorary doctorate of nursing practice to community leader, businesswoman and philanthropist Ginger Myers during the ceremony. She and her husband, Keith Myers, are co-founders of the LHC Group.
Crystal Smith is UL Lafayette’s Outstanding Master’s Graduate. She earned a master’s degree in nursing in the family nurse practitioner concentration from the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Olivia Guidry is the University’s Outstanding Graduate. A double major in political science and English, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Liberal Arts.
Spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies for each academic college and the Graduate School will be livestreamed via links that can be found on the Cajundome’s website.
The individual ceremonies will also be livestreamed on Facebook pages for seven academic colleges and the Graduate School. The ceremony for two academic colleges, the College of Nursing & Health Sciences and University College, will be livestreamed on UL Lafayette’s main Facebook page.
View a list of Spring 2022 graduates. Learn more about Spring 2022 Commencement.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette will award 1,753 degrees during individual Commencement ceremonies for its eight academic colleges and Graduate School on Friday and Saturday. ceremonies will be held at the Cajundome and the Cajundome Convention Center. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette)