Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees will be conferred during the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Fall 2017 Commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 15, at the Cajundome and Convention Center.
The General Assembly will be held at 11 a.m. at the Cajundome. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at this ceremony. Graduating seniors, faculty members and administrators will attend, wearing full academic regalia.
Former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, ’64, will deliver the Commencement address. She will also receive an honorary doctorate. The first and only woman to serve as governor of Louisiana, she took office in 2004. During her term, Blanco directed the largest investment increase in higher education in state history. She expanded the state’s pre-K program and fully funded Louisiana’s colleges and universities for the first time in 25 years.
Alumnus B.I. Moody III, ’49, will receive an honorary doctorate. Moody graduated from the University in 1949, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and successful businessman. In February, Moody was honored by the UL Lafayette college that bears his name: the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.
Master’s and bachelor’s degrees will be conferred at separate ceremonies for each academic college. A schedule and locations are below.
Cajundome
8 a.m. College of Liberal Arts
2 p.m. B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Cajundome Convention Center - Festival Ballroom (2nd floor)
8 a.m. College of the Arts
2 p.m. Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Cajundome Convention Center - Exhibit Hall B (1st floor)
8 a.m. College of Education
2 p.m. College of Engineering
Bourgeois Hall
8 a.m. College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
2 p.m. University College
Parking for the general public will be available at Cajun Field; motorists are encouraged to enter through Gate 8 on West Congress Street, and through Gate 11 on Souvenir Gate.
Security measures will be in place at the Cajundome and Convention Center and at Bourgeois Hall. University Police officers will examine the contents of purses, bags, and packages of attendees. Extremely large bags or oversized packages won’t be permitted inside the Commencement venues.
A livestream of the General Assembly can be viewed on the University's Facebook page.
A livestream of all ceremonies that will be held at the Cajundome can be viewed at https://livestream.com/accounts/18327140/events/7978378
Share your story with family and friends by using the #ragingrads hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Google+ posts.
A Snapchat filter will be available from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the Convention Center and at Bourgeois Hall.
Learn more about Fall 2017 Commencement at commencement.louisiana.edu.