UA to Hold Commencement Exercises May 5-7

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama will hold its spring commencement exercises May 5-7 at Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus.

More than 4,400 UA undergraduate and graduate students from all eight colleges and schools are expected to participate in the ceremonies.

Students from the College of Arts & Sciences will participate in the first of five commencement ceremonies, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Culverhouse College of Commerce & Business Administration graduates will walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, while the College of Education, College of Engineering and Capstone College of Nursing will start at 1:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. Saturday, the College of Communication & Information Sciences, College of Human Environmental Sciences and School of Social Work will hold their commencement exercises.

The UA School of Law will hold its commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday at Coleman Coliseum.

Four faculty members will serve as commencement marshals this semester. Dr. Edwin Stephenson, professor of biological sciences, will lead the platform party to the stage during the Friday and Saturday morning ceremonies. Stephenson just completed his 26^th year at UA, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in general biology, genetics and cell biology.

Dr. Melondie Carter, assistant dean of Undergraduate Programs and professor in the Capstone College of Nursing, will lead the Saturday afternoon ceremony. She has 24 years of teaching experience at UA. She is a recipient of the National Alumni Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award and the State Nurse Educator Award. Carter served as chair of student life on the Faculty Senate for seven years and co-chaired the textbook committee, which developed The University of Alabama’s textbook rental program. She also co-developed the WellBama program.

Dr. Norman Baldwin, professor of political science, will lead the Saturday night ceremony. Baldwin teaches courses on how to lead and manage public service and is the author of “Winning at Following.” He conducts research on followership, diversity, whistle-blowing and differences between government and business. He also founded a program that placed 210 students in jobs in the tornado relief effort and lead a Faulty Senate task force that partnered with Student Life to enact 47 measures to enhance campus diversity.

Debbie Long, executive vice president, secretary and chief legal officer for Protective Life Corp., will deliver the University of Alabama School of Law commencement address Sunday. Long, a UA alumna, joined Protective Life as General Counsel in 1992. Before joining the company, she was a member of the Maynard, Cooper & Gale law firm in Birmingham, where she practiced in the areas of insurance, banking and finance, business acquisitions and mergers and general corporate law.

The ceremonies will be broadcast live at ua.edu/commencement/ and will be archived on the same page for 30 days following the ceremony.

More information can be found at https://registrar.ua.edu/graduation/.