The university will grant degrees to more than 200 students during commencement at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 in Moody Coliseum.
The 207 students receiving degrees is fewer than the 250 students last year, so Dr. Eric Gumm, registrar and director of the First-Year Program, anticipates this year’s ceremony to be slightly shorter.
Gumm expects between 1,000 and 1,200 people will fill Moody Coliseum to cheer on the graduates. Joyce Haley, instructor of journalism and mass communication and recipient of the Teacher of the Year award in May, will speak at the December graduation ceremony.
“One of the great things that I love about ACU graduation ceremony is that component of the escort and the hooding ceremony for the undergraduates,” said Gumm. “Most schools that you go to don’t have that component. That really makes it a personal experience. So it’s not just you and your classmates that you spent the last four years with, but it’s also you and your classmates and somebody that is significant, whether that is a parent or a spouse or a sibling or someone on campus who has been meaningful sharing this experience together.”
A reception in the Hunter Welcome Center will take place after the graduation, which is sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Alumni Association. The reception will provide small desserts and will be open to parents, graduates and faculty members.
This year, because of the resurfacing of the tennis courts in the Teague Special Events Center, graduating students will wait in the Student Recreational and Wellness Center before they enter Moody Coliseum.
“I am excited for that diploma, I’m not going to lie,” said Samantha Stien, senior business finance major from Georgetown. “I know it’s not going to come in the mail until two weeks after I walk across the stage, but just having that piece of paper, I’ll just be like, ‘yeah, I did that.’ What I am most looking forward to is finally getting to apply what I have learned in the classroom in the real world.”
Stien will graduate this December and go on to work at Airrosti Rehab Center in San Antonio as a junior financial analyst. Stien wanted to graduate early to save money and jump-start her career.
“These second semester seniors, I would recommend at the beginning of the semester, if not earlier, to start looking for a job,” said Stien. “In the spirit of being prepared and trying to get the job that you want I would say get a head start. Not only will that help you out, but it will look good to companies because it says that you are motivated.”
