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Capacity problems prompt decision to hold
three commencement ceremonies in May 2010
Record enrollments at Western Carolina University in recent years have produced corresponding increases in graduating students, and now university officials have set a strategy of holding three spring commencement ceremonies as a way to address crowd capacity issues at Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
WCU’s spring graduating class is the focus of concern because that group is historically much larger than the classes that finish their degree requirements at the end of the summer sessions or at the end of fall semester, said Fred Hinson, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chairman of the university’s commencement committee.
The spring classes have pushed the commencement venue, the Ramsey Center, to its absolute limits in recent years – in terms of numbers of students participating in commencement, and the audience of families and friends who show up to watch them walk across the stage, Hinson said. To deal with the numbers, university officials decided to hold two ceremonies in May 2008 – one for graduate students on Friday night, and another for undergraduates on Saturday afternoon.
The same strategy was followed this past May, but concerns about the potential size of the May 2010 undergraduate class prompted the decision to go with three ceremonies, Hinson said.
Plans are now set to hold a ceremony for Graduate School students at 7 p.m. Friday, May 7, and two undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 8 – at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The start time of the Saturday afternoon ceremony is being delayed from the typical 2 p.m. start to allow adequate cleanup and turnaround time for the Ramsey Center staff, and holding a later ceremony also will help with traffic, Hinson said.
The May 8 morning commencement will include graduating students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts. The day’s afternoon ceremony will include students from the colleges of Business, and Health and Human Sciences, and the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology. Honors College students will walk in either undergraduate ceremony, according to their degree affiliation, Hinson said.
Plans for spring commencements are being put in place now to provide adequate notification for students, so that they and their families can make plans, Hinson said. All of WCU’s commencement ceremonies will continue to be non-ticketed events that are open to everyone, he said.
WCU’s fall commencement is not affected by capacity problems and will go on as planned, with one ceremony set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. With the university’s summer commencement eliminated due to budgetary concerns, students who complete degree requirements at the end of the summer sessions have the option of participating in the December ceremony, Hinson said.
By Randall Holcombe
