Indiana University of Pennsylvania will hold commencement ceremonies for 2,426 graduates at ceremonies May 12 and 13 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Students graduating in both May and August are eligible to participate in the ceremonies.
There are three ceremonies: the graduate ceremony (for students receiving master's and doctoral degrees) is Friday, May 12, at 7:00 p.m.; and two undergraduate degree ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The first undergraduate ceremony, at 9 a.m. on May 13, will be for students from the College of Health and Human Services and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The 2 p.m. ceremony will be for students from the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, College of Education and Educational Technology, College of Fine Arts, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
There were 1,831 applications for degrees for May graduation: 1,439 bachelor's degrees, 345 master's degrees, 45 doctoral degrees, and two associate degrees. Of the May bachelor's degree applicants, 845 qualify for Latin honors with a grade point average of 3.25 or above.
The total number of May graduates by college is: 298 from the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, 128 from the College of Education and Educational Technology, 68 from the College of Fine Arts, 553 from the College of Health and Human Services, 198 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 196 from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and 390 from the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
A total of 595 applications for degrees were submitted by students eligible to graduate in August: 392 bachelor's degrees, 153 master's degrees, 49 doctoral degrees, and one associate degree. Of the bachelor's degree applicants for August, 100 qualify for Latin Honors.
The breakdown of graduates by college is: 100 from the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, 55 from the College of Education and Educational Technology, six from the College of Fine Arts, 175 from the College of Health and Human Services, 34 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 23 from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and 202 from the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
IUP President Michael Driscoll will preside over the commencement ceremonies. Alumni from the class of 1967 will lead the procession of graduates for the morning ceremony. Again this year, all students participating in May commencement ceremonies will be recognized by name and congratulated on stage.
A total of 42 undergraduates with perfect 4.0 grade point averages will also be recognized at the ceremonies.
Student Speakers
The student speaker for the graduate ceremony is Terrance Hudson, a student in the Administration and Leadership Studies doctoral program from Cleveland. Hudson, son of Joyce Hudson of Euclid, Ohio, and Lamar Hall of South Euclid, Ohio, is a 2000 graduate of Glenville High School. While at IUP, he received the Clayton Meal Supervisors Award and won the 2017 Three Minute Thesis Peer Choice Award at the 2017 Graduate Scholars Forum. He is part of the “Ever Consider Teaching?” project and was president of the Graduate Student Assembly, a member of the Creating Higher Standards Mentoring Program, and a volunteer strength and conditioning coach for the IUP women's lacrosse team.
The student speaker for the undergraduate morning ceremony is Abigail Hallmark, a food and nutrition major from Erie. The daughter of Anna Mezzacapo and the late Ryan Hallmark and stepdaughter of Mario Mezzacapo, she is a 2013 graduate of Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy. She is a dean's list student and provost scholar, won the Dean's Award at the Undergraduate Scholars Forum, and is the recipient of the Culinary Leadership Award.
She is a member of the Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics, a Food and Nutrition Student Ambassador, and a Culinary Student Ambassador. She was chairperson for the Nutrition and Dietetics Mentee and Mentor Program and served as a teaching assistant for the Food and Nutrition Department's Foods Laboratory course. She participated in IUP's Into the Streets day of service and the Treasures for Children community service project and has done service in Punxsutawney and in her hometown. As part of her academic studies, she completed internships at both UPMC Hamot Hospital and at the Biltmore Estate. She has worked at the Rustic Lodge, in Indiana, and at Nunzi's Restaurant, in Erie.
The student speaker for the afternoon ceremony is Logan Feronti, a marketing major from Ridgway in the Cook Honors College. The daughter of Donna Feronti and Joel Feronti, she is a 2013 graduate of Ridgway Area High School. She is graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She was selected for the Eberly Student Gallery, which showcases outstanding seniors in the Eberly College who participate and excel in extracurricular activities and academics.
She placed second in the American Marketing Association Collegiate Marketing Plan Competition and was a Small Business Institute consultant for the Jimmy Stewart Airport and a marketing assistant for the Apartment Store. She was a box office sales associate for the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, an office assistant in the Eberly Undergraduate Student Services Office, and a tutor for a business statistics course.
She is the recipient of several scholarships, including the Dean's Merit Scholarship for the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, the Board of Governors Cook Honors College Scholarship, the Sutton Scholarship, the AT&T Communications Scholarship, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Hospitality Scholarship, the Pittsburgh Foundation Scholarship, and IUP-APSCUF Scholarship.
She worked as a note taker for students with disabilities, performed the National Anthem for several university events, performed in the IUP Theater by the Grove's spring musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and sang at nursing homes during the holiday season. She was a member of Dance Explosion university dance team and was an event coordinator for IUP's Six O'Clock Series lecture program.
University Senate Awards
Recipients of the 2017 University Senate Awards will be recognized. They are: Stanley Chepaitis, professor, Department of Music, Distinguished Faculty Award for Creative Arts; Lisa Price, professor, Department of Communications Disorders, Special Education, and Disability Services, Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching; Todd Thompson, associate professor, Department of English, Distinguished Faculty Award for Research; and Justin Fair, associate professor, Department of Chemistry, Distinguished Faculty Award for Service.
Tickets
Tickets are required for those attending each undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 13. Every person, including children over the age of two, must present a ticket, showing the correct event and time, to enter the Kovalchick Complex. Each graduate who RSVP'd had the option to claim up to four tickets. One additional ticket was available through a lottery. On Wednesday, May 10, graduates still wishing to obtain more tickets for their guests may claim up to two additional tickets. The deadline to claim either the first round of tickets or your lottery tickets is Thursday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are not required for those attending the graduate commencement ceremony on May 12, but it may not be possible to grant access to late arrivals due to venue capacity. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parking and Shuttle Service
With increased traffic on and around campus for commencement, persons are asked to arrive early for each ceremony to allow for adequate travel time from parking areas to the Kovalchick Complex. Designated parking lots near the Kovalchick Complex and across the IUP campus will be used for commencement parking at no charge. The majority of parking will be available off of Wayne Avenue or Oakland Avenue. Parking attendants will direct drivers to available lots and parking spaces in the area.
Complimentary shuttle bus service will be available from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. on May 12 and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 13 to provide transportation from the public parking areas to the Kovalchick Complex before the commencement ceremonies, and from the facility back to the parking areas and around the IUP campus after the ceremony.
The Indigo Shuttle Service “Route Shout” application is available for downloading for real-time access to the shuttle schedules.
A parking and shuttle map is available on the Commencement website.
Guests with Special Needs
Guests who require handicapped (ADA) accessible parking may park in the lot directly in front of the Kovalchick Complex or directly west of the facility; parking attendants on-site will direct drivers to the available spaces in the area. A disability parking placard is required to park in these areas; drivers are asked to have this placard displayed when arriving on campus.
For the safety of IUP guests and to maintain traffic flow, stopping and drop-off is prohibited along Pratt Drive. Limited accessibility drop-off is permitted in the drive through circle directly in front of the Kovalchick Complex. Persons who have difficulty walking extended distances are asked to use the Indigo shuttle service available in each primary parking lot.
For questions about commencement parking, persons should call the IUP Parking and Visitors Services office at 724-357-8748.
Department Ceremonies
Many departments are holding individual commencement ceremonies. A complete list is available on the IUP Commencement website.
Live Webcast
Details about live webcasts of the commencement ceremonies are also available on the website.