IUP announces commencement ceremonies
INDIANA, Pa. — Indiana University of Pennsylvania will hold commencement ceremonies for 1,722 graduates on May 6 and 7 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Students graduating in May and August are eligible to participate in the ceremonies.
The ceremony for students graduating with a master’s or doctoral degree is May 6 at 7 p.m.
Undergraduate ceremonies will be held on May 7 at 9 a.m. for students in the Dr. John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Health and Human Services. Undergraduate ceremonies at 2 p.m. will be held for students in the College of Education and Communications, the College of Arts and Humanities, the Eberly College of Business and the University College.
One student from Jefferson County will be honored at IUP commencement for completing studies with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Caitlyn Rodgers, a music education major from Reynoldsville, is the daughter of Maryanne and Alvin Rodgers and is a 2018 graduate of Punxsutawney High School. She received the IUP Music Scholarship and was a member of Delta Omicron International Music fraternity and the IUP Marching Band.
Of the invitations to students to receive degrees at the May ceremonies, there are 1,195 bachelor’s degrees, 426 master’s degrees, 89 doctoral degrees and 12 associate degrees. Of the bachelor’s degree applicants, 702 qualify for Latin honors with a grade-point average of 3.25 or above.
The total number of graduates by College is 176 from the College of Arts and Humanities; 206 from the Eberly College of Business; 158 from the College of Education and Communications; 398 from the College of Health and Human Services; 245 from the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; 24 from the University College and 515 from the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
IUP President Driscoll will preside over all of the ceremonies. All students participating in May commencement ceremonies will be recognized by name and congratulated on stage.
John Ninosky Sr., a 1993 graduate of IUP and former president of the IUP Alumni Association Board of Directors, will offer greetings from the Alumni Association during the graduate ceremony. Tonya Hsiung, a 2000 bachelor’s degree and 2003 master’s degree IUP graduate and president of the IUP Alumni Association Board of Directors, will offer greetings from the Alumni Association at the undergraduate ceremonies.
The May 6 graduate ceremony speaker is Abir Ward, a graduating student in the English/ Compositions and Applied Linguistics Ph.D program.
Distinguished University Professor Dr. Alida Merlo, professor of criminology and criminal justice, will present the commencement address at both the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies.
Bryony Tilzey, an environmental engineering major with a minor in mathematics from Greensburg, will be the student speaker for the 9 a.m. undergraduate ceremony.
Kiara Williams, an Early Childhood Education/ Special Education with Urban Track Certification from Canonsburg, will be the student speaker for the 2 p.m. undergraduate ceremony.
A total of 234 graduates, honored with crimson and gray philanthropy cords, contributed $5,357 to the senior class gift.
Mikayla Dokos, a mathematics and mathematics education graduate from Homer City, will present the Senior Class Gift at the 9 a.m. undergraduate ceremony.
Matthew Hiles, an accounting and economics double major in the Cook Honors College who earned a Chinese certificate in foreign languages, will present the Senior Class Gift at the 2 p.m. undergraduate ceremony.