USD Holds Graduation Ceremonies Over Memorial Day Weekend

Some 2,200 new University of San Diego graduates in business, education, law, nursing, peace studies and other fields will receive their degrees in ceremonies this month. A total of 1,848 students will graduate in three ceremonies held over Memorial Day weekend on May 26 and 27.

Hundreds of graduates are San Diego residents whose family and friends will join them for the celebration. Many graduates are the first in their family to earn a college degree.

On Saturday, May 26, at 1 p.m., 487 graduates will receive master’s and doctoral degrees in the graduate commencement ceremony. The speaker is Carolyn Y. Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community.

On Sunday, May 27, at 9 a.m., 723 students will be awarded bachelor’s degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences. Bill Drayton, a pioneer in social entrepreneurism and the founder and CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, will address the graduates and receive an honorary degree. At 2 p.m., 638 graduates from the School of Business Administration and Engineering Programs will receive bachelor’s degrees. The speaker is Albert P. Carey, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages.

This year’s undergraduate class includes 15 graduates from the McNair Scholars program, which prepares underrepresented and first-generation college students for PhD programs and careers in higher education. There are also 17 graduates who were selected for Teach for America, the Peace Corps, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and other service organizations. Fifteen newly commissioned Navy and Marine officers will also receive degrees. Companies that have hired this year’s graduates include Ernst & Young, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Sempra Energy and E&J Gallo Winery.

“We are proud to honor our graduates, knowing that they have acquired the knowledge, skills and ethics to be leaders and changemakers in their chosen professions,” said USD President Mary E. Lyons.

On May 12, 363 students graduated from USD’s School of Law. The speaker was Michigan Congressman Dave Camp ‘78, (JD), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee.

All ceremonies will take place in USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion. For more information, go to www.sandiego.edu/commencement.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego sets the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. USD recently concluded our successful $317M Leading Change: The Campaign for USD, which represented the most ambitious fundraising effort in the history of the university. In September 2016, USD introduced Envisioning 2024, a strategic plan that capitalizes on the university’s recent progress and aligns new strategic goals with current strengths to help shape a vision for the future as the university looks ahead to its 75th anniversary in the year 2024.