The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will confer more than 3,500 degrees during commencement exercises May 7 and 8.
Former Nebraska football coach, Athletic Director and Congressman Tom Osborne will deliver the keynote address, “Begin with the End in Mind,” during the undergraduate ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
The May exercises will be the first time since December 2019 — before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — that the university has held full-fledged commencement ceremonies in person.
So that graduates and their guests can maintain proper distancing, undergraduates will be divided into two groups for separate ceremonies at Memorial Stadium.
Students from the following colleges will participate in the morning ceremony:
College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
College of Architecture
College of Business
College of Journalism and Mass Communications
Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Students from the following colleges will participate in the afternoon ceremony:
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Education and Human Sciences
College of Engineering
Doctoral and master’s degrees will be conferred by the Office of Graduate Studies at 4 p.m. May 7, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Jennifer Clarke, professor of food science and technology, and statistics, and director of the Quantitative Life Sciences Initiative at Nebraska, will give the address at the graduate and professional degrees ceremony.
Chancellor Ronnie Green will preside over the commencement ceremonies.
The university is partnering with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to ensure proper social distancing between attendees to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission. Graduates and their guests will be required to wear face coverings at all times while inside the commencement venues. All graduate and public seating will be socially distanced.
If inclement weather arises, Sunday, May 9, has been set aside as an alternate date for the undergraduate commencement ceremonies.
Because of the need to maintain distancing, these events will be limited to May 2021 graduates and their guests. Future ceremonies will be offered to 2020 graduates who wish to return to campus for an in-person celebration of their degrees.
Graduates must have signed up to attend commencement. To help protect participants and their guests, COVID-19 saliva testing will be required of all participating students, faculty and staff who will be on the field or arena floor. All graduates must receive a negative COVID-19 test result in the one to three days prior to their ceremony. Vaccination status is not a factor; all participating graduates must be tested. “Building access granted” status on the SaferCommunity app or a building access pass from the online testing portal is required for entrance. For more details, including required testing dates and information on exemptions, click here. Testing questions can be sent to covid19@unl.edu. Testing is not required for regular guests.
To maintain a secure environment, Memorial Stadium and Pinnacle Bank Arena enforce a clear-bag policy that limits the size and type of bag that may be brought into the venues. Details are available here. To avoid inconveniences, guests are encouraged to arrive early and travel light.
Tickets are required for all guests at Memorial Stadium. All tickets are free and will be accessible on mobile devices. Each graduate could request up to eight tickets, which can only be accessed by the student through Huskers.com with a unique password. Additional reserved seating can be requested here until 8 a.m. May 8. Guest seating will be limited to West and South stadiums. Students will be seated on the field. Guests will not be allowed on the field at any point during commencement. They may meet up with graduates outside the gates of Memorial Stadium after the ceremonies.
Handicap seating is available on the apron of the West Stadium bowl with an appropriate ticket. The entrance is Gate 3. Open captioning for people with hearing impairment will be provided on the ribbon boards. First aid will be at the northwest station on the north concourse for guests and the southeast field-level station for those on the field.
Free parking is available with no permit needed (except for handicap visitors) in City Campus parking garages and surface lots, unless otherwise marked. Guests are encouraged to park on the west side of Memorial Stadium for easier access to guest entrances.
Limited handicap parking is available in the surface lots around the stadium. Vehicles must have appropriate, state-issued handicap permits or license plates. A drop-off area for mobility-restricted guests will be available on Stadium Drive, directly west of the stadium.
Undergraduates are to check in no later than 9:15 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 3:15 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony, at the Hawks Championship Center, just north of Memorial Stadium. Students should bring their student ID and cellphone and enter through the west gates. Graduates will check in and go directly to their assigned seats inside the stadium. Graduates are encouraged to wear shoes without high heels since they will be walking on field turf.
Tickets are not required for the ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The public may sit in any open seats other than on the main floor, which is set for graduates, faculty and dignitaries. Handicap seating is available on the concourse level in Sections 106, 107, 112, 114, 117 and 118. Open captioning for people with hearing impairment will be provided through the ribbon screens at the corners of the arena concourse level. For Pinnacle Bank Arena seating charts, click here. Guest services and first aid will be on Level 3 at Gate 112.
Paid parking for Pinnacle Bank Arena, including handicap spaces, is available in Haymarket area garages and on the street. Parking in the Red 1 Garage, 555 R St. at $3 per vehicle, can be reserved and paid in advance here. The arena’s north lobby entrance will not be open for commencement.
A drop-off area for mobility-restricted guests will be available on the south side of the U.S. Post Office building, 700 R St., directly east of Pinnacle Bank Arena, although the area is expected to be highly congested. Parking maps are available here.
Graduates should check in no later than 3:30 p.m. for the graduate and professional degrees ceremony. Graduates should enter via the south lobby entrance, off R Street. Students should bring their student ID and cellphone. Graduates will check in and go directly to their assigned seating on the arena floor.
Graduates should contact the Office of the University Registrar with accessibility concerns.
Graduates and their guests are asked to stay for the entire ceremony.
The ceremonies will be streamed here and broadcast live on Spectrum channel 1303, Allo channel 23 and Kinetic channel 1080.
For more information on the May commencement ceremonies, click here or email commencement@unl.edu.
Nebraska Today
More details at: https://go.unl.edu/k5r2