With final exams wrapping up tomorrow and the academic year winding down, we’re counting the hours to the big day.
On Saturday, May 7 – after postponed dates, changing locations, social distancing and other turmoil caused by COVID for the past couple years – Commencement is back on Ball Circle!
More than 5,000 folding chairs will be set up on the site, the center of campus life, for UMW’s 111th Commencement, which celebrates finishing students from both undergraduate and graduate programs in a single ceremony.
Sheila Shadmand ’95, a partner at Jones Day, one of the world’s largest law firms, and a trailblazer for women in the Middle East, will be the speaker. Among her achievements, Shadmand received a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998, UMW’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2010, and a spot in Global Investigations Review’s top 100 “Women in Investigations” last year.
The Commencement field opens Saturday morning at 7. Graduates begin arriving at 8. And at 9, it’s showtime! The moment the entire UMW community works and waits for all year. Time to celebrate the Class of 2022! Time for our Eagles to fly!
Learn more about the May 7 festivities by visiting the Commencement website.
At this time, masks are optional in all outdoor spaces on UMW’s campuses. During Commencement exercises, the choice to wear a mask is up to each individual based on their own assessment of the environment and comfort.
