The University of New Mexico hosts its annual Fall Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies Dec. 15 and 16 at the WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
The Graduate Commencement ceremony will take place Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., honoring Doctoral and Master’s degree candidates. The Undergraduate Commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m., honoring Bachelor’s and Associate’s degree candidates.
Approximately 2,032 students are expected to receive degrees this fall. Main campus will award approximately 1,290 bachelor’s degrees, 365 master’s degrees, 60 doctorates, 20 juris doctorates, 7 medical doctorates and 36 graduate certificates.
At the branches: UNM-Gallup, 60 associate degrees and 40 certificates are projected to be awarded; at Los Alamos, 13 associate degrees; at Taos, 34 associate degrees and15 certificates; and at Valencia, 50 associate degrees and 42 certificates.
An official degree count is determined following commencement.
They keynote speaker for the Graduate ceremony is former New Mexico State Treasurer, James B. Lewis. Lewis served as the 24th treasurer under former Gov. Toney Anaya, and served again as the 29th treasurer under Gov. Susana Martinez.
After leaving office in 2014, Lewis was elected president of the National Association of Auditors, Comptrollers, and State Treasurers. As a New Mexico native, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the National College of Business in Albuquerque and went onto receive his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from UNM.
The Undergraduate Commencement keynote speaker is Pamela Agoyo, director of American Indian Student Services and special assistant to the President for American Indian Affairs at UNM.
Agoyo received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Sociology and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology from UNM.
She currently serves as the National Co-Chair of the College Board Native American Student Advocacy Institute (NASAI), president of the New Mexico Statuary Hall Foundation, and former president of the Board of Directors for the National American Indian Education Association (NIEA).
In addition to the degrees being conferred, the Presidential Award of Distinction will be awarded to recipients Dr. Larry Sklar and Terry Laudick from Frank at the Dec. 16 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Sklar is a Regents’ and Distinguished Professor of Pathology, who has more than 400 publications and patents in biotechnology, and Laudick is currently the President/CEO of Nusenda Credit Union.
Both ceremonies are campus-wide graduation ceremonies, including degrees from all schools, colleges, and degree programs. Each candidate will walk across the stage and be recognized individually for their accomplishments. Doctoral and terminal master’s (Master of Fine Arts) will be hooded at the ceremony.
Convocation ceremonies are celebrations hosted by individual schools, colleges, and/or departments just for their graduates. Each convocation ceremony is different and can range from formal to casual. For more information about convocation ceremonies, visit convocation coordinator.
To find out more about UNM's Commencement ceremonies, visit Fall 2016 Commencement.