AUSTIN, Texas – Michael S. Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Technologies and co-founder of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, will deliver the keynote address at The University of Texas at Austin’s 136th spring commencement May 25 on the university’s South Mall.
Dell joins a wide range of accomplished leaders from business, government, media, the arts and sciences who will deliver graduation addresses across campus May 24-25.
Convocations at the university’s colleges, schools and departments recognize students individually. The convocation speakers for these ceremonies are listed below. A map for navigating campus and information about parking, tickets and inclement weather plans during commencement weekend are available at:
https://commencement.utexas.edu/
Find information about the live-stream web cast at:
https://commencement.utexas.edu/university-wide-ceremony/webcast.
Convocation Ceremonies, May 24-25
Friday, May 24, 2019
8 a.m. — McCombs School of Business (ceremony for undergraduate students), Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Phil Canfield, BBA ’89, managing director of GTCR Private Equity.
8 a.m. — Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, Atrium, LBJ Presidential Library. Speaker: Lt. Col. (Retired) Emmett “E.T.” Tullia.
8:30 a.m. — Department of Government, College of Liberal Arts**, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: The Honorable Rudolph “Rudy” Metayer, council member, City of Pflugerville.
8:30 a.m. — College of Pharmacy, Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speaker: Julie A. Johnson, dean and distinguished professor of pharmacy and medicine, University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
10 a.m. — Department of History, College of Liberal Arts**, Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: LeeAnn Stack, program manager, Intellectual Property Operations at Facebook. Note: Tickets are required.
10:00 a.m. — Navy ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, State Capitol. Speaker: Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson, commander, Navy Installation Command.
11:30 a.m. — College of Liberal Arts**, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Martin W. Dies, attorney.
Noon — McCombs School of Business, Master of Science programs (in Business Analytics, Finance, Information Technology and Management, Marketing), Zlotnik Family Ballroom, AT&T Conference Center. Speaker: Karen Starns, BBA ’89, CMO, Brand and Customer Experience, Amazon; and MSM Advisory Council member.
Noon — College of Education, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Charles R. Martinez Jr., dean, College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Note: Tickets are required.
Noon — School of Nursing*, Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speaker: Mary K. Wakefield, former acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
1:00 p.m. — Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom, Texas Union. Speaker: Maj. Gen. Tracy R. Norris, The Adjutant General, Texas National Guard.
2 p.m. — Jackson School of Geosciences, Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Ed Duncan, principal, Duncan Petroleum Advisors LLC; founder and former CEO, Great Bear Petroleum. Note: Tickets are required.
3 p.m. — College of Fine Arts, Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speaker Pamela Ribon, writer.
3 p.m. — McCombs School of Business, Master of Business Administration (MBA) recognition ceremony, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture North America.
3 p.m. — Moody College of Communication, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Noël Wells, actor, writer, director and musician.
6 p.m. — Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts**, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Cindy Meston, professor of psychology and psychiatry at The University of Texas at Austin.
6 p.m. — Department of English, College of Liberal Arts**, Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speaker: Lisa Olstein, poet and professor in the Department of English, The University of Texas at Austin.
7 p.m. — Cockrell School of Engineering, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: James W. (Jimmy) Canning, former socioeconomic manager, ExxonMobil.
Saturday, May 25, 2019
8 a.m. — College of Natural Sciences (Ceremony 1), Biochemistry, Biology, Molecular Biosciences, Marine Biology, Neuroscience, Public Health, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Alan Stern, leader of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
8:30 a.m. — Graduate School (master’s degrees), Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Note: Tickets are required.
9 a.m. — Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts**, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Amy Villarreal, vice president and general manager, CBS Austin, Telemundo Austin.
9 a.m. — Plan II Honors Program, College of Liberal Arts**, Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Shola Lynch, filmmaker. Note: Tickets are required.
10 a.m. — Center for Mexican American Studies, College of Liberal Arts**, Student Activity Center Auditorium (1.402). Speaker: Graciela I. Sánchez, director, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.
11 a.m. — Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, LBJ Auditorium. Speaker: Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. Note: Tickets are required.
11:30 a.m. — Graduate School (doctoral degrees), Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speaker: Gregory L. Fenves, president, The University of Texas at Austin. Note: Tickets are required.
Noon — College of Natural Sciences (Ceremony 2), Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Alan Stern, leader of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
12:30 p.m. — McCombs School of Business, Master in Professional Accounting (MPA), Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Brien Smith, MPA ’81, managing director of NB Private Equity Partners.
2 p.m. — School of Architecture, Hogg Memorial Auditorium. Speaker: Maurice Cox, director of planning and development for the City of Detroit. Note: Tickets are required.
3 p.m. — Steve Hicks School of Social Work, Bass Concert Hall, Texas Performing Arts. Speakers: Kylie Youmans, MSSW ’19, and Danielle Redhead, BSW ’19.
3:30 — McCombs School of Business, Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC), Zlotnik Family Ballroom, AT&T Conference Center. Speaker: Robert “Bob” Metcalfe, professor of innovation, Cockrell School of Engineering; and professor of entrepreneurship, McCombs School of Business.
3:30 p.m. — School of Human Ecology, College of Natural Sciences, Frank Erwin Center. Speaker: Marissa Duswalt Epstein, previous associate director of policy and events for Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative.
3:30 p.m. — School of Law, Gregory Gymnasium. Speaker: Neal S. Manne, managing partner of Susman Godfrey.
4 p.m. — School of Information, AT&T Conference Center, Ballroom, Salon C. Speaker: Gary Hoover, founder of Bookstop and Hoover’s.
8 p.m. — University-wide spring commencement, South Mall. Speaker: Michael S. Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Technologies and co-founder of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Ceremony will be preceded by a 7 p.m. carillon prelude and a concert by members of the university’s Chamber Singers, Concert Chorale and Wind Ensemble.
* Ceremony includes both graduate and undergraduate students.
** Liberal Arts students are encouraged to attend their individual department ceremony (Government, History, Economics, Plan II, Mexican American Studies, English and Psychology). The dates and times for these individual ceremonies are listed separately in this schedule. Liberal Arts students in all departments not included in the list above should plan to participate in the joint College of Liberal Arts convocation ceremony.
