Spring Commencement set for May 10 and 11

Hooding ceremony

The hooding ceremony for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies will be among the celebrations during 2013 Spring Commencement.

Radford University will celebrate its graduating class of 2013 at Spring Commencement on Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. President Penelope W. Kyle will confer degrees on nearly 1,300 graduates.

Virginia Delegate Joseph Yost, a Radford University alumnus, will be the keynote speaker at the main ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday on the university’s Moffett Lawn.

Elected in 2011 to serve the 12th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, Yost '06, M.A. '08, represents the residents of Giles County, parts of Montgomery County and Pulaski County, and the City of Radford.

Among the degrees to be awarded are more than 200 master's and doctoral degrees. Individuals in the fields of science, technology, mathematics and health will make up 29 percent of total graduate and undergraduate degrees. The most undergraduate degrees—114—will be awarded to interdisciplinary studies majors in the College of Education and Human Development.

This year's spring graduates represent 108 cities and counties in Virginia, 25 states and nine countries.

The weekend's events will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday with the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) commissioning ceremony in the auditorium of the Hurlburt Student Center. Other events Friday will be:

  • School of Nursing pinning ceremony, 1-3:30 p.m., Bondurant auditorium, Preston Hall.
  • College of Education and Human Development awards ceremony, 2-3:30 p.m., Hurlburt auditorium.
  • College of Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement and Hooding Ceremony, 5-7 p.m., Dedmon Center.
  • Multicultural Congratulatory Ceremony, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Hurlburt auditorium.

An information center will be set up at 7:30 a.m. Saturday on Moffett Lawn with staff available to answer questions, give directions and provide assistance for those needing special accommodations. Seating of families and friends for the main ceremony will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Candidates for graduation will assemble at 9 a.m. in their assigned areas to line up for the processional, which will begin at 10 a.m. The commencement ceremony will follow at 10:30 a.m. The Virginia Highlands Pipes and Drums will lead the procession of candidates, faculty members and the platform party into the ceremony.

Individual college ceremonies will begin 30 minutes after the main ceremony ends.

Detailed information about the day's events, including inclement weather announcements, is on the university's commencement Web page.

Learn more about Radford University at www.radford.edu.

May 3, 2013
Chad Osborne
(540) 831-7761
caosborne@radford.edu