UC to Celebrate Many Degrees of Success at December Commencement

In a season of celebrations, few festivities top the University of Cincinnati's Fall Commencement, where UC will confer more than 2,000 degrees this December.

The Commencement ceremonies will be held from Dec. 12-13 in Fifth Third Arena:

• Doctoral Hooding and Master’s Recognition Ceremony at 10 a.m., Dec. 12, with welcome by UC Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Marshall Montrose and special address by former Procter & Gamble and Microsoft executive Robert J. Herbold, who will receive an honorary doctorate

The class of December 2014 is highlighted by 2,083 students eligible to graduate. They are earning 159 associate degrees, 1,103 bachelor's degrees, 742 master's degrees, 93 doctoral degrees and six professional degrees for a total of 2,103 (some students earn multiple degrees).

A closer look at the Commencement statistics

is available online.

CEREMONY DETAILS

• Doors to the arena open at 8:30 a.m., Dec. 12, and 8 a.m., Dec. 13.
• Parking is free in all West Campus garages on that day.
• Each graduating student will be able to invite up to eight guests. No tickets will be needed to attend the ceremony. Seating is general admission; first come, first seated.
• The Family Friendly Zone in the Russell C. Myers Alumni Center is an alternative location to view Commencement via simulcast. It is intended especially for individuals with limited mobility, small children or special needs but available to everyone.
• Immediately following each ceremony, the Commencement Office and UC Alumni Association will host a reception for all graduates and guests near the Russell C. Myers Alumni Center.
• A map of campus with details about the ceremony, parking, dining and more is available online.

JOIN IN WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Graduates and guests are encouraged to take part in an interactive social media component to the event. Video boards in the arena and a display in the alumni center will showcase messages of congratulations, encouragement and celebration posted on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, etc.) with the hashtag

#UCGrad14

during the ceremony.

WEBCAST VIEWING

For those not able to attend the ceremony, Commencement can be

viewed via webcast

.

UC GRADS GET JOBS

Data collected by UC’s

Career Development Center

in its spring 2013 Destination Report for bachelor’s degree students show that UC graduates transition well into the workforce.

• UC bachelor's degree graduates’ average starting salary was $45,511.
• 79 percent accepted a position related to their field of study.
• 62 percent participated in a co-op or internship before graduating.
• 75 percent who participated in a co-op or internship had full-time jobs after graduating.
• 80 Fortune 500 companies hired UC graduates.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Students were asked to share their graduation stories with the university. Here are excerpts from what some of the soon-to-be graduates had to say about their experiences:

• "I learned that the Bearcat community is a family. All of these things – community, pride, diversity, acceptance, independence, control, achievement, support, family – these are things that have become a part of who I am. They have helped me grow into the person that I am proud to be today, a UC alumna and forever a Bearcat."
  Katherine Keiser, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences

• "College was a good thing … very challenging … but worth every penny. I love to learn and enjoy listening to people, getting to know what they think and why they believe what they do, so college was a fertile ground for experiencing that."
  Tim Cator, UC Blue Ash College

• "My time at UC has been an amazing experience. I attribute all of my success to taking advantage of just a small portion of the vast and diverse opportunities that students have at UC. I soar with pride every time I see our national rankings go up, I wear my red and black every Friday, and I can’t even tell you how excited I am to purchase the University of Cincinnati alumni license plate cover. UC is a treasure and my home. My parents and brothers are all alumni of this great university, and I am so excited to join them."
  Cara Bachman, Carl H. Lindner College of Business

• "I am so thankful for CCM faculty who have encouraged me over the last year. My students at the university where I teach told me daily I could do this and kept me motivated. I am excited to finally, after 21 years, complete something I so desperately wanted."
  Brenda Lang, College-Conservatory of Music

HONORARY DEGREES AND AWARDS

UC will bestow three honorary doctorates, its highest award, and one President's Award for Excellence during Fall Commencement. Recipients are:

• Honorary Doctorate of Public Service: Andrew J. Young, chairman of The Andrew J. Young Foundation and visionary politician who fought segregation alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
• Honorary Doctorate of Commercial Science: Robert J. Herbold, managing director of The Herbold Group and retired Microsoft and Procter & Gamble executive
• Honorary Doctorate of Science: Dean J. Kereiakes, medical director of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Center, medical director of the Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital, and professor of clinical medicine at Ohio State University
• President's Award for Excellence: Greg Hand, retired associate vice president for public relations at UC

MORE TO LEARN

Further information is available

on the Commencement website.