The University of Iowa will honor December 2017 graduates during a series of commencement ceremonies Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 14–17.
Fall undergraduate degree applicants include 1,079 from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing, University College, and the College of Engineering.
Get to know our fall graduates
More than 1,000 undergraduate students are expected to receive degrees from the University of Iowa Dec. 14–17. Go inside the numbers and experience five graduates’ inspirational stories. READ MORE...
Professional and graduate students include 348 degree applicants from the Graduate College, the College of Law, the College of Nursing, University College, the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and the Tippie College of Business.
College of Education commencement
5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, Hancher Auditorium
Faculty speaker will be Jeremy Manternach, assistant professor of vocal music education in the UI Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Elizabeth Halverson of Spencer, Iowa, who will be receiving her degree in English Education and completing the Teacher Education Program, will be the student speaker. Keynote speaker will be Martin G. Carver, (BA, business, ’70), who is a principal for MG Consulting LLC, and former chairman of the board, CEO, and president of Bandag, Inc.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-college-education-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
Graduate College commencement
7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, Hancher Auditorium
John Keller, interim vice president for research and economic development, associate provost for graduate and professional education and Graduate College dean, will offer an introduction and an address. Keller will be joined by UI President J. Bruce Harreld in conferring degrees.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-graduate-college-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University College commencement
9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, Carver-Hawkeye Arena
CLAS Executive Associate Dean Raúl Curto will lead the ceremonies, and President Harreld will confer the degrees. Graduate Benjamin Ross, of Rockford, Illinois, who will be receiving his degree in vocal performance and a certificate in education, will sing the national anthem. Graduate Rachel Maller of West Des Moines, Iowa, who will be receiving their degree in sociology with minors in philosophy and communication studies, will be the student speaker. President Harreld and Dean Keller will confer an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon UI professor emerita and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Marilynne Robinson; Robinson will be the keynote speaker.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-clas-university-college-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
College of Nursing commencement
9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, Hancher Auditorium
Dean Julie Zerwic will lead the ceremonies, and Interim Provost Sue Curry will confer degrees. Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates Gabriel Jaramillo-Salgado of New Lenox, Illinois, and Tressa DeBoer of Fenton, Iowa, will be the student speakers.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-college-nursing-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
Henry B. Tippie College of Business commencement
1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, Hancher Auditorium
Graduate Molly Monroe of Davenport, Iowa, who will be receiving a BBA in economics with a writing certificate, will be the student speaker. Guest speaker will be Stephen Belyn (BBA, accounting and economics, ’91), who is the managing director of FTI Consulting in Chicago.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-tippie-college-business-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
College of Engineering commencement
Noon on Sunday, Dec. 17, Hancher Auditorium
Engineering alumnus Mark R. Wiesner (MS, civil and environmental engineering, ’80), a recognized leader in the national and international civil and environmental engineering community, will be inducted into the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy and will deliver the charge to the graduates. Wiesner is James B. Duke Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University.
Live video stream: now.uiowa.edu/2017/11/video-college-engineering-fall-2017-commencement-ceremony
Video coverage
Family and friends unable to attend the ceremonies have several options for watching graduates participate.
The Graduate College, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Engineering, University College, Tippie College of Business, and the College of Education Teacher Education Convocation ceremonies will be streamed live on the web at now.uiowa.edu. They also will be posted on the university’s YouTube channel the week of Dec. 18.
Video of the Graduate College opening remarks will include commentary in Arabic and Farsi. Spanish captions will be added to video of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ceremony, and the ceremony’s opening remarks will include commentary in Korean.
Social media
Instagram and Twitter users can join the celebration by using the hashtag #UIGrad17 with UI graduation–related posts. We’ll keep an eye out and share our favorites.
Graduation app
To help keep track of graduation details, students and families can download the UI Graduation App. It provides easy access to commencement ceremony schedules, a graduation checklist, cap-and-gown ordering, local lodging and dining options, parking and venue maps, FAQs, and more. Download it at registrar.uiowa.edu/iowa-graduation-app.
More information
Find complete information for graduates and guests on the Office of the Registrar website. Commencement events are open to the public, but traffic near facilities—particularly Carver-Hawkeye Arena and Hancher Auditorium—may be heavy.
Doors at Carver-Hawkeye Arena open an hour before start time, and guests should use the south and west entrances to enter the arena.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena guests with disabilities or limited mobility can park in Lot 46 adjacent to the arena, provided they have a state-issued disabled parking permit. Guests with limited mobility can access the Feller Club Room with up to two companions or view the ceremony from the upper concourse level.
Doors at Hancher Auditorium open an hour before start time. Hancher Auditorium guests with disabilities or limited mobility can park in the lot adjacent to the venue on the west side and overflow lots southwest of the auditorium in Lot 55, provided they have state-issued disabled parking permits. Visit www.hancher.uiowa.edu/road-construction to view the location of these lots. Guests with limited mobility can enter Hancher through either of the two west entrances. Guests in need of seating accommodations should contact Hancher directly at 319-335-1158.
Hancher guests should note significant construction on Dubuque Street and Park Road that could delay travel, especially at peak times. Delays of at least 15 to 30 minutes are possible, and travelers should plan accordingly.
For the media
Carver-Hawkeye Arena commencements. Doors open one hour before each ceremony. Photographers and news media are permitted on the arena floor until 15 minutes before ceremonies begin, at which point they must return to the designated media area. Media and visitors on the arena concourse are asked to keep noise to a minimum while the ceremony is in progress. Interviews should be conducted outside the arena. Clean audio is available through the arena system.
Hancher Auditorium commencements. Doors open one hour before each ceremony. Media and visitors are asked to keep noise to a minimum while the ceremony is in progress. Interviews should be conducted outside the performance hall area.