A total of 2,086 graduates are invited to attend commencement ceremonies May 10 and 11 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Students graduating in May and August are eligible to participate in the ceremonies.
There are three ceremonies for graduates: the graduate ceremony (for students receiving master's and doctoral degrees) on May 10 at 7:00 p.m.; and the undergraduate degree ceremonies on May 11 at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The 9:00 a.m. ceremony on May 11 will be for students from the College of Health and Human Services and the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The 2:00 p.m. ceremony on May 11 will be for students from the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, the College of Education and Communications, the College of Fine Arts, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Of the invitations to students to receive degrees at the May ceremonies, there are 1,585 bachelor's degrees, 419 master's degrees, 76 doctoral degrees, and six associate degrees. Of the bachelor's degree applicants, 799 qualify for Latin honors with a grade-point average of 3.25 or above.
The total number of graduates by college is 325 from the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, 176 from the College of Education and Communications, 75 from the College of Fine Arts, 586 from the College of Health and Human Services, 172 from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, 254 from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, three from the Division of Academic Affairs, and 495 from the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
IUP President Michael Driscoll will preside over the commencement ceremonies. Tracy Settle, a 1980 graduate and president of the IUP Alumni Association, will offer greetings to the graduates on behalf of the IUP Alumni Association.
The student speaker for the graduate ceremony is Rachel Schiera, a resident of Indiana originally from Gloucester, Virginia, who will receive her doctor of education, curriculum and instruction, degree at the ceremony.
Arlene Ivory, from Ashville, a master of arts degree in music performance major, will sing the National Anthem and the alma mater during the ceremony.
The student speaker for the undergraduate morning ceremony is Tegan Kriebel, a bachelor of science in education, family and consumer sciences education graduate from Elysburg.
Stephanie Raby-Reeger, of Black Lick, who will receive her degree in anthropology, will be the speaker for the afternoon ceremony.
Julia Marcinko, a music education major from Pittsburgh, will sing the National Anthem and the alma mater during both the morning and afternoon ceremonies.
Kelly Bollard, a natural science graduate from Jefferson Township, will present the senior class gift at the morning undergraduate ceremony. Taylor Coleman, a marketing degree graduate from Wernersville, will present the senior class gift at the afternoon undergraduate ceremony.
More than 500 graduates, honored with crimson and gray philanthropy cords, contributed $10,000 to the Senior Class Gift, which will be donated to the IUP Student Food Pantry.
The recipient of the Distinguished University Professor award, professor of history R. Scott Moore, and the 2019 University Senate Award recipients will be recognized.
The Senate Awards recipients are: Distinguished Faculty Award for Research – Moore; Distinguished Faculty Award for Creative Arts – David Martynuik, associate professor of music; Distinguished Faculty Award for Service – Gail Sechrist, associate professor, Geography and Regional Planning; and Distinguished Staff Award for Service – Jessica Mulvihill, assistant director for Education Abroad, Office of International Education.
All students participating in May commencement ceremonies will be recognized by name and congratulated on stage.
A total of 43 undergraduates with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages will be recognized at the ceremony.
New faculty emeriti will be recognized in the printed program. They are:
- W. Timothy Austin, Criminology and Criminal Justice, 34 years
- Carol Caraway, Philosophy, 31 years
- Stanley Chepaitis, Music, 26 years
- Carol Connell, IUP Libraries, 48 years
- Lon Ferguson, Safety Sciences, 24 years
- Dighton (Mac) Fiddner, Political Science, 16 years
- Arden Hamer, Developmental Studies, 20 years
- Joann Janosko, IUP Libraries, 18 years (posthumously)
- Amy Labant, Nursing and Allied Health Professions, 22 years
- David Loomis, Journalism and Public Relations, 15 years
- Phillip Neusius, Anthropology, 31 years
- Sarah Neusius, Anthropology, 32 years
- Raymond Pavloski, Psychology, 34 years
- David Pistole, Biology, 35 years
- Jay Start, Communications Media, 31 years
- Dey (Whit) Watts, Geography and Regional Planning, 23 years
Tickets are required for those attending each undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 11. Every person, including children over the age of two, must present a ticket, showing the correct event and time, to enter the Kovalchick Complex. It may not be possible to grant access to late arrivals due to venue capacity. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tickets are not required for those attending the graduate commencement ceremony on May 10, but it may not be possible to grant access to late arrivals due to venue capacity. Seating is also on a first-come, first-served basis.
With increased traffic on and around campus for commencement, visitors are asked to arrive early for each ceremony to allow for adequate travel time from parking areas to the Kovalchick Complex. Designated parking lots near the Kovalchick Complex and across the IUP campus will be used for commencement parking at no charge. The majority of parking will be available off of Wayne Avenue or Oakland Avenue. Parking attendants will direct drivers to available lots and parking spaces in the area.
Complimentary shuttle bus service will be available from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. on May 11 and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 12 to provide transportation from and to the public parking areas.
The for real-time access to the shuttle schedules. A parking and shuttle map is available on the Commencement website.
Guests who require handicapped (ADA) accessible parking may park in the lot directly in front of the Kovalchick Complex or directly west of the facility; parking attendants on-site will direct drivers to the available spaces in the area. A disability parking placard is required to park in these areas; drivers are asked to have this placard displayed when arriving on campus.
For the safety of IUP guests and to maintain traffic flow, stopping and drop-off is prohibited along Pratt Drive. Limited accessibility drop-off is permitted in the drive-through circle directly in front of the Kovalchick Complex. Persons who have difficulty walking extended distances are asked to use the Indigo shuttle service available in each primary parking lot.
For questions about commencement parking, call the IUP Parking and Visitors Services office at 724-357-8748.
Many departments are holding individual commencement ceremonies. A complete list is available on the IUP commencement website. Details about live webcasts of the commencement ceremonies are also available on the website.