AUSTIN, Texas – Retired Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown, a nationally respected figure in law enforcement, will deliver the keynote address during the 134th Spring Commencement at The University of Texas at Austin on May 20, 2017. (UPDATE: Commencement is still planned as scheduled May 20, but there is a backup plan for May 21 if weather poses a danger.)
Brown was chief of the Dallas Police Department from 2010 to 2016. In total, he served the department for 33 years. He rose to national prominence for the leadership he showed in the wake of the assassination of five Dallas police officers in 2016. But his real legacy is the transformation of the department to an organization focused on community policing. He recognized that building and maintaining the public’s trust could only be accomplished through transparency, accountability and well-trained officers.
Click here to read Chief Brown’s full bio.
A map for navigating campus during commencement weekend, including information about construction and road closures, is available at http://commencement.utexas.edu/getting-around/maps.
Commencement parking is free on a first-come, first-served basis. On Friday, May 19, university parking garages will be available along with campus lots marked “C” parking. On Saturday, May 20, university parking garages and most surface lots will be available, with the exception of spaces marked “At All Times.”
Live stream of the event available here.
Live stream with captioning available here.
Individual College and School Convocations May 19-20
Former Longhorns, academic scholars, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and prominent figures in broadcasting are among the speakers for the 2017 spring convocation ceremonies held by schools and colleges at The University of Texas at Austin on May 19 and 20.
Convocations at the university’s colleges and schools recognize students individually. The convocation speakers for these ceremonies are listed below.
Friday, May 19
8 a.m. — McCombs School of Business (ceremony for undergraduates), Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Gary Kelly, BBA ’77, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, Southwest Airlines
8:30 a.m. — Department of Government (College of Liberal Arts), Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Matthew Dowd, chief political analyst, ABC News, political consultant and former chief strategist, Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign
8:30 a.m. — College of Pharmacy, Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Patrick J. Davis, UT senior associate dean in the College of Pharmacy
10 a.m. — Department of History (College of Liberal Arts), Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Brian P. Levack, John E. Green Regents Professor in History, Fellow of Jack S. Blanton, Sr. Chair in History and Fellow of Caltex Professorship in Australian Studies
11:30 a.m. — College of Liberal Arts, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Jason Lamin, B.A.’98, Founder and CEO, Lenox Park Solutions LLC; Founder, Nyawa Funding Group
Noon — College of Education, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: S. Claiborne Johnston, dean and Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership, Dell Medical School. Note: tickets are required.
Noon – Master of Science in Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing (McCombs School of Business), LBJ Auditorium. Speaker: Tony Rogers, BBA/MBA, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Walmart U.S.
Noon — School of Nursing, Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Randolph Rasch, Ph.D. ’88, RN, FAANP, dean of the College of Nursing at Michigan State University
3 p.m. — College of Fine Arts, Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Koury Angelo, BFA ’04, photographer
3 p.m. — Department of Psychology (College of Liberal Arts), Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: David Buss, B.A. ’76, Fellow of David Wechsler Regents Chair in Psychology
3:30 p.m. — Moody College of Communication, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Brian Jones, college football analyst, CBS Sports
6 p.m. — Master of Business Administration (McCombs School of Business), Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Elaine Agather, MBA ’79, chairwoman of the Dallas region and south region head for J.P. Morgan Private Bank, JPMorgan Chase
6 p.m. — Department of English (College of Liberal Arts), Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Keith Maitland, B.A. ’98, documentary filmmaker
7 p.m. — Cockrell School of Engineering, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Randall Poston, B.S. ’78, M.S. ’80, Ph.D. ’84, senior principal, Pivot Engineers
Saturday, May 20
8 a.m. — College of Natural Sciences (Ceremony 1): Biochemistry, Biology, Molecular Biosciences, Marine Biology, Neuroscience, at Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Thane Kreiner, B.S. ’83, executive director, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Howard & Alida Charney University Professor at Santa Clara University
9 a.m. — Department of Economics (College of Liberal Arts), Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Judge Julie Kocurek B.A. ’87, presiding judge, 390th District Court of Travis County
9 a.m. — Graduate School (master’s degree candidates), Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Maurie McInnis, executive vice president and provost of the university. Note: tickets are required.
9 a.m. — Plan II Honors Program (College of Liberal Arts), Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Linda Addison, B.A. Plan II Honors ’73, J.D. ’76, immediate past managing partner, Norton Rose Fulbright. Note: tickets are required.
10 a.m. — Center for Mexican American Studies (College of Liberal Arts), Student Activity Center Auditorium. Speaker: Pedro Suárez Jr., B.A. ’13, lead senior analyst, GMMB
11 a.m. — LBJ School of Public Affairs, LBJ Auditorium. Speaker: Tom Brokaw, special correspondent, NBC News, author, and former anchor, NBC Nightly News. Note: tickets are required.
11:30 a.m. — Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC), McCombs School of Business, AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center, Ballroom. Speaker: Josh Baer, founder & executive director, Capital Factory
Noon — College of Natural Sciences (Ceremony 2): Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, at Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Thane Kreiner, B.S. ’83, executive director, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Howard & Alida Charney University Professor at Santa Clara University
Noon — Graduate School (doctoral candidates), Bass Concert Hall. Speaker: Gregory L. Fenves, president of the university, Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering No.15. Note: tickets are required.
12:30 p.m. — Master in Professional Accounting (MPA), McCombs School of Business, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Niloufar K. Molavi, BBA and MPA ’91, vice chair and U.S. energy and mining leader and market managing partner for Greater Houston, PwC.
3 p.m. — School of Architecture, Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Fred Clarke, FAIA, RIBA, JIA, B.A. ’70, senior principal, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Note: tickets are required.
3 p.m. — Jackson School of Geosciences, Bates Recital Hall. Speaker: Robbie Gries, president, Priority Oil & Gas
3 p.m. — School of Social Work, Bass Concert Hall. Speakers: Anthony Oriorn Nunez, BSW ’17, and Maya Angelica Williams, MSSW ’17, two members of the graduating class chosen by their peers
3:30 p.m. — College of Natural Sciences (Ceremony 3): Human Development and Family Sciences, Human Ecology, Medical Laboratory Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Textiles and Apparel, at Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Jennifer Kotler, Ph.D. ’99, vice president of research & Evaluation, Sesame Workshop
3:30 p.m. — School of Law, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Debra H. Lehrmann, B.A.’79, J.D. ’82, Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
4 p.m. — School of Information, AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, Amphitheatre. Speaker: Christian Schley, MSIS ’09, School of Information Advisory Council chair
