UH Manoa to hold Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 14, at Stan Sheriff Center

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s 105th Commencement Exercises will take place at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday, May 14, 2016. An estimated 2,500 students are expected to participate.

The Undergraduate Ceremony is from 9:00 a.m. to noon and the Advanced Degree Ceremony is from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.  Approximately 1,850 students are registered to participate in the morning Undergraduate Ceremony, and about 670 are registered to participate in the Advanced Degree Ceremony.

Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Honoree:

Keynote speaker for the Undergraduate Ceremony will be U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. Undergraduate student speaker will be Jaisa S. Minor, a finance and international business double major.  For bios of Schatz and Minor, see https://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/undergrad_speakers.php.

Keynote speaker for the Advanced Degree Ceremony will be author, scholar and activist Angela Davis.  Nainoa Thompson, navigator and president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, will receive an Honorary Degree. For bios of Davis and Thompson, see https://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/advanced_degree_speakers.php.

Logistics:

Doors to the Stan Sheriff Center will open at 7:45 a.m. for the Undergraduate Ceremony and at 2:00 p.m. for the Advanced Degree Ceremony. Both events are free and open to the public. No tickets are issued, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Balloons, large signs and strollers are not allowed inside the Stan Sheriff Center.

Doors to the Stan Sheriff Center will be closed on reaching capacity, so friends and family members of the graduates are urged to arrive early to ensure entry and seating.  The Les Murakami Baseball Stadium will serve as an alternate viewing venue for the ceremony.

Parking:

On Commencement Day, free parking is available campus-wide (on both Upper Campus and Lower Campus). Arrive early, as considerable traffic and pedestrian congestion surrounding the campus is expected.

Undergraduates who arrive in a vehicle with three or more occupants may park on the University Lab School lawn on the corner of Dole Street and University Avenue (entrance to lawn is on Dole Street). A trolley service will be provided to and from the Stan Sheriff Center. Space is limited, so arrive early. Parking on the lawn will open at 6:00 a.m.

Campus parking for guests is free but limited on graduation day. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. UH Shuttles will be available from various locations throughout the campus area. For more information, please check the Commencement Transportation webpage at https://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/transportation.php.

The road leading from the Waiʻalae gate entrance to the Stan Sheriff Center will be closed before and during the ceremony. The parking area near the ROTC buildings is reserved.

Greeting the graduates:

Friends and family members may greet the graduates following the ceremonies as follows:

Morning Undergraduate Degree Ceremony: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex field (surnames A-N) and at Les Murakami Baseball Stadium field (O-Z).

Afternoon Advanced Degree Ceremony: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex field (A-Z). 

Authorized lei vendors will be located on Ching Field.  The fields will be cleared an hour after each ceremony ends.

The H-Zone store will be open at the Stan Sheriff Center from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the Undergraduate ceremony, and from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. for the Advanced Degree ceremony. There is a 10 percent discount on regular-priced items.

Live webcast and more information:

There will be a live webcast of both Undergraduate and Advanced Degree ceremonies. To view the live webcasts, and for other information such as disability accommodations and the Rainbow Shuttle route, see the Commencement website at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/.