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UH opts against general ceremony

Commencement is shelved in favor of college ceremonies

By Christian Schmidt
The Daily Cougar

When only a few hundred students show up at an event designed for several thousand, it may be time to try something different.

That's the University's take in canceling General Commencement this year. Instead of the central ceremony, each college will have a commencement ceremony. Most colleges already host a convocation, an event to honor graduates in the college, but those convocations will now become commencements, during which graduates will actually have their degrees conferred.

"We're just going to move the conference of degrees to the college events," interim Provost Jerald Strickland said. "It's a little more work for administrators and the regents to attend all these events, but we're willing to do it."

And it seems students don't really mind the change. A number of students interviewed by The Daily Cougar said they had not planned to attend the General Commencement anyway, and that college commencements seemed like a better idea.

As for faculty members and deans, they may be happy to attend one event rather than two.

"In principle, I like the idea of a general commencement," Honors College Dean Ted Estess said. "But the way we were doing it, it just wasn't working."

Several students did express dismay that the announcement of the change wasn't made sooner and has not been better publicized.

"I've got family coming in, so I'm going to go to the college thing, but I just wish someone had told us sooner," senior English major Steven Smith said.

College convocations are smaller gatherings that give more attention to individual graduates than the General Commencement.

"Over the last few years, the college events have become more and more important," Strickland said. "In some ways they're better, because they're smaller, more personal, and every student gets individual recognition."

Strickland said the decision will be reconsidered next year, and there's a chance the General Commencement could return.

"We're just trying something different this year, and we'll see how it goes," he said. "But we'll look at this again next year and see what we should do."

Information on the ceremonies for UH's 13 colleges can be obtained from college offices.
 

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