The University of Georgia will welcome its newest alumni on May 13 as 6,054 undergraduates and 1,549 graduate students—a total of 7,603—have met requirements to participate in the university’s spring Commencement ceremonies.
The undergraduate ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Sanford Stadium. Ed Bastian, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines, will give the address.
Bastian, who is also a UGA parent, has expanded Delta’s leading position as the world’s most reliable airline while growing its global footprint and enhancing the customer experience in the air and on the ground. During Bastian’s tenure as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline, having been named the No. 1 airline by J.D. Power, Wall Street Journal’s top U.S. airline, the top-ranking airline in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, the most on-time global airline by FlightGlobal, the Platinum Award recipient for operational excellence by Cirium, one of TIME100’s Most Influential Companies, a Glassdoor Best Place to Work, and more.
In 2018, Fortune magazine named Bastian among “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and in 2019, he was elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Most recently, Bastian was awarded the 2021 Airline Strategy Award for Executive Leadership by FlightGlobal and was named among the top 10 CEOs of 2021 in Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards as a leader who has excelled at supporting their people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karli “KB” Bryant, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in education with a major in communication sciences and disorders, is the student speaker for the undergraduate ceremony.
UGA will recognize 109 students as First Honor Graduates for maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA in all work attempted at UGA as well as all college-level transfer work prior to or following enrollment at the university.
An estimated 263 doctoral candidates and 1,286 master’s and specialist degree students will be eligible to walk in the graduate ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Jennifer Frum, UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach, will address the graduates and guests.
Frum became UGA’s fourth vice president for public service and outreach in 2012 and the first woman to serve in the role. She provides institutional leadership for UGA’s eight diverse public service and outreach units, which contribute in numerous ways to Georgia’s short- and long-term prosperity. The UGA Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach has an estimated $753 million annual economic impact on Georgia.
In her role at UGA, Frum is responsible for training, technical assistance, continuing education and applied research programs that develop community leaders, create new small businesses, make government more efficient, provide students with real-world experiences, protect the environment and revitalize downtowns, among other benefits. She also provides leadership, along with the vice president for research, for UGA’s economic development programming, including the university’s economic development office in Atlanta.
Frum joined UGA in 1995 as a research professional in the Office of International Development and moved to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government in 2006. She served as deputy director and interim director of the Vinson Institute and interim vice president for public service and outreach before becoming vice president. She also served as interim president of Armstrong State University from June through December 2017.
The clear bag policy will be in effect for both ceremonies. Parking is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For the graduate ceremony, suggested parking areas include South Campus Deck (S11), Carlton Street Deck (S15), and the Foley Field Lot (S14). Parking for guests with disabilities is available in the Hoke Smith Annex lot (S12), which is adjacent to Stegeman Coliseum.
For the undergraduate ceremony, suggested parking areas include Hull Deck (W05), North Campus Deck (N04), South Campus Deck (S11), and the Performing Arts Center Deck (E20). Parking for guests with disabilities is available at the East Campus Deck (E04). An ADA accessible shuttle will be available from that parking area to transport guests to the stadium.
The graduate and undergraduate ceremonies will be broadcast live on the Commencement homepage. The graduate ceremony broadcast will begin at 9:25 a.m. and the undergraduate ceremony broadcast will begin at 7:25 p.m.
For more information, please visit https://commencement.uga.edu