The University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder will confer 4,043 degrees on Friday, May 11, and invest its 20th president, Elizabeth Hoffman, during the spring commencement ceremony.
Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Folsom Stadium, regardless of the weather, and will last about an hour and a half.
President Hoffman will be bestowed with the Chain of Office - a symbol of the authority of the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ presidency - during the investiture ceremony. The history of investiture ceremonies dates back to the 10th century and generally has been associated with a new leader being "invested" with the power and authority of a new office. In the United States higher education community, the investiture ceremony has been used to bestow an institution's symbol upon its new president.
There will be 3,114 bachelor's degrees awarded, 649 master's degrees, 145 doctoral degrees and 135 law degrees. The College of Arts and Sciences will lead the bachelor's degree count with 2,007 degrees, followed by the College of Business and Administration with 459, College of Engineering and Applied Science with 314, School of Journalism and Mass Communication with 173, College of Architecture and Planning with 109 and the College of Music with 52. The Graduate School will award 719 degrees and the Graduate School of Business Administration will award 75.
Jim Collins will give the commencement address. Collins, who grew up in Boulder, founded a management laboratory in Boulder in 1995 where he conducts multi-year research projects and works with executives from the corporate and social sectors.
His research focuses primarily on how businesses grow and how good companies can become great ones. He is perhaps best known for co-authoring "Built to Last," a highly regarded book that has sold more than a million copies worldwide and has been translated into 17 languages.
Also during the ceremony, Bill Coleman and DarÃo Villanueva will receive honorary doctoral degrees from ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder.
Coleman and his wife, Claudia Coleman, who will receive an honorary degree from the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Health Sciences Center in Denver, will be honored with degrees in recognition of their vision and financial support in developing the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities. The Colemans' long-term goal is to have the institute develop technologies that will improve the quality of life for those with cognitive disabilities and their community of support.
Villanueva, who is president of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, is a distinguished critic of Spanish and Spanish American literature. He will receive his degree in recognition of his work at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder as a visiting professor and for his ongoing relationship with ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder. During his visit to campus, Villanueva will give the university a copy of the facsimile edition of "Prayer Book of King Fernando I of León," a limited edition book published in 1995 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Each spring commencement ceremony begins with the historic processional of faculty and all graduates from Norlin Quadrangle across campus to Folsom Stadium. Guests are requested to be in their seats at the stadium by 9:15 a.m. to watch the student processional, which will begin promptly at 9 a.m. on the quad.
To close the ceremony, ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ President Elizabeth Hoffman will read the traditional Norlin Charge - the words from a speech given by former ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ President George Norlin to the graduating class of 1935.
Guests with disabilities who have questions or need additional assistance should contact the Office of Disability Services at (303) 492-8671.
The university commencement ceremony is free and open to the public. No tickets are required for the ceremony, so early arrival guarantees the best choice of seating. All commencement details are listed on the Internet at .
ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder, the state's oldest public institution of higher education, is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2001.