UArizona to Confer About 8,000 Degrees

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins will confer about 8,000 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees at the university’s 158th Commencement May 13.

The event will start at 7:30 p.m. at Arizona Stadium and will be streamed live on YouTube. The 90-minute event will mark the first time since the start of the pandemic that all graduates will come together in person to celebrate at Arizona Stadium. In 2020, Commencement was held virtually, with a delayed in-person celebration held on the Mall during Homecoming in November 2021. Spring 2021 Commencement was split into a series of smaller in-person events at the stadium and the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center. 

“Our entire team is excited to be 100% back in Arizona Stadium for one night celebrating the class of 2022,” said Heather Lukach, assistant vice president for presidential events and university ceremonies. “We expect a wonderful turnout of families, friends and campus community to give our graduates a proper send off.” 

The stadium’s Gate 7, at the southwest corner of the facility, will open at 5:30 p.m. for early access to the shaded west side of the stadium. All other gates will open at 6:30 p.m. Guest seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and no tickets are required. More information for guests is available on the Commencement website.

Dante Lauretta, a UArizona Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry and principal investigator of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, will deliver the ceremony’s keynote address. (Read more about Lauretta, who is also a UArizona alumnus, in the University of Arizona News article “Dante Lauretta, leader of NASA’s history-making OSIRIS-REx mission, will address graduates at Commencement.”)

Lauretta will be available for brief interviews before the ceremony, between 4:45 and 5:15 p.m. Media interested in interviewing Lauretta should email Alexis Blue, ablue@arizona.edu for access.

Honorary degree recipients

The university will award six honorary degrees at this year’s Commencement. The recipients are: 

• Nancy Berge, Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Education
• Louva Dahozy, Doctor of Science from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Adalberto “Beto” Guerrero, Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• W. Kent McClelland, Doctor of Humane Letters from the Eller College of Management
• Joe Tremaine, Doctor of Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts
• Amy Zuckerman, Doctor of Humane Letters from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health

Read more about the honorary degree recipients in the University of Arizona News article “UArizona to confer about 8,000 degrees as full-scale Commencement returns.” 

Student award winners

Seven outstanding graduating students will be presented with awards at Commencement. The awards and their recipients are:

• Provost Award: Karen Jacquez, who is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in law and a minor in psychology
• Robert Logan Nugent Awards: Nizan Howard, who is graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in information science and technology and a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics; and Trevor Nolan Tankersley, who is graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in physiology and medical sciences.
• Robie Gold Medal Awards: Lily Yu Lin McNair, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in nutritional sciences with an emphasis on dietetics and a minor in biochemistry; and My Duyen Tran, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology, with an emphasis in human health and genetics, and a minor in gender and women’s studies.
• Merrill P. Freeman Medals: Bryce Galus, who is graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in both marketing and business management; and Anna-Rose Quinn, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in both marketing and business management.

Read more about the student award winners in the University of Arizona News article “Graduates will be honored for their determination and excellence inside and outside the classroom.”

Pictured above right to left – Twin sisters Samantha & Sydney Mathis are two out of the 8,000 students that will be graduating on May 13, 2022.