Indiana
University of Pennsylvania will hold Commencement ceremonies for 2,335 graduates
at ceremonies May 11 and 12 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 11 at 7:30 p.m.; undergraduate
degree ceremonies are May 12 at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The
9:00 a.m. ceremony on May 12 will be for students from the College of Health
and Human Services and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The 2:00 p.m. ceremony on May 12 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.
By the Numbers
There are 2,367
invitations to students to receive degrees at the ceremonies: 1,815
bachelor’s degrees, 461 master’s degrees,
87 doctoral degrees, and four associate degrees. Of the bachelor’s degree applicants, 906 qualify for Latin honors with a grade-point
average of 3.25 or above. A
total of 43 undergraduates with perfect 4.0
grade-point averages will be recognized at the ceremony.
The total number of graduates by college is: 379 from the Eberly College of Business and
Information Technology; 200 from the
College of Education and Communications; 54
from the College of Fine Arts; 710 from
the College of Health and Human Services; 185
from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; 291 from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and 548 from the School of Graduate Studies and
Research.
Student Speakers
The
student speaker for the graduate ceremony is Ashley Jones, of Duquesne, who
will receive her master of fine arts degree at the ceremony. The daughter of
Susan Jones, of Duquesne, and Jackie Jones, of Forest Hills, she is a graduate
of Wilson Christian Academy and received her undergraduate degree from Central
State University. She is the recipient of scholarship awards from the IUP Department
of Art, was a member of the Graduate Art Association, participated in the “Quid
Pro Quo” lecture series art exhibition, participated in the Graduate Scholars
Forum, served on the Contemporary Feminist Art Practices Panel, participated in
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s Women’s Consortium Conference,
Fine Arts Department Colloquium Series, and the Visual Narrative of Colorism
and Identity Among African-American Women lecture.
The
student speaker for the undergraduate morning ceremony is Victoria Lynn Jakicic, a mathematics and psychology
double major and French minor, from Pittsburgh. She is the daughter of Mary Ann
Jakicic and is a 2014 graduate of Bethel Park High School.
She received the Creating Opportunities for Applied
Mathematics Scholarship, the Terry Serafini Scholarship for Mathematics, the
Ida Z. Arms Mathematics Scholarship, the Rebecca Stoudt Memorial Scholarship,
the Renee Liscinsky Memorial Scholarship, and the Consortium for Mathematics and
its Applications Honorable Mention award. She was a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor
society and Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society; was a member and is
past president of the Math Club; and was a member of the French Club and the Women
in STEM club.
Bethany Balencic, of Indiana, who will receive her
degree in early childhood-special
education, will be the speaker for the afternoon ceremony. A 2014 graduate of
Indiana Area Senior High School, she is the daughter of Jeffrey and Gina
Balencic. She is a dean’s list and provost scholar student and was a member of
the IUP Ambassadors student-alumni association, Kappa Delta Pi education honor
society, Pennsylvania State Education Association, and the Council for
Exceptional Children. Balencic will also be honored as a 4.0 graduate.
IUP
President Michael Driscoll will preside over the commencement ceremonies.
The recipient of the Distinguished University Professor
award and the 2018 University Senate Award recipients also will be recognized. Again this year, all students
participating in May commencement ceremonies will be recognized by name and
congratulated on stage.
Tickets are required
for those attending each undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 12. 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
11, 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 Indigo
Shuttle Service Route Shout application is available
for downloading for real-time access
to the shuttle schedules.
Parking and shuttle maps are 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, colleges, and programs are holding recognition events during commencement. A complete list is
available on the IUP Commencement website.
Details about live webcasts of the
commencement ceremonies are also available on the website.