Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Message from the President

Dear Students,

I have continued to receive responses from our students and their loved ones regarding our plans for December commencement. I met with a group of students today, and I appreciated their candor and engagement. It has been made clear to me how strongly many of our students feel about holding commencement in a traditional fashion in the Lakefront Arena. I still believe that there is value to personalized ceremonies in an intimate space, but we need to provide our students with more notice before making substantive changes to their commencement experience.

Accordingly, we will proceed with a single fall 2024 commencement ceremony in the UNO Lakefront Arena on Friday, December 13 at 10 a.m. It is my intention to gradually move to May-only commencement ceremonies, but we do not want there to be any more surprises, so we will hold both a December 2024 ceremony and a December 2025 commencement ceremony in the Lakefront Arena. Starting in 2026, we plan to hold May-only ceremonies with plenty of flexibility about who is able to participate, including allowing students to walk early.

Thank you for passion and commitment to UNO. I regret the stress or confusion that these decisions may have caused you and your families. We are so proud of our students and their achievements, and I look forward to a triumphant celebration in December.

Sincerely,

Kathy Johnson, Ph.D.
President
The University of New Orleans