Newswise — Chancellor Gordon Gee will send off Vanderbilt University's class of 2006 during commencement on Friday, May 12, but not before students and their families get to dance to the music of Kool & the Gang on Wednesday, May 10, and hear from First Lady Laura Bush on Thursday, May 11.
"Vanderbilt's commencement week is about our graduates and their families," said Chancellor Gordon Gee, who will deliver the keynote address at Friday's main ceremony. "The entire university community comes together to celebrate their achievements and mark a turning point in their lives."
A total of 2,500 graduates are expected to attend commencement. The university expects to award degrees to about 1,500 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate and professional students.
Celebrations will kick off at 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, with The Party, an outdoor dance celebrating the graduating class for members of the Vanderbilt community. The event will be held on the Peabody Mall on the campus of the university's Peabody College. Kool & the Gang, known for their party anthem "Celebration" and the hits "Cherish" and "Jungle Boogie," will perform.
On Thursday, May 11, First Lady Laura Bush will give the keynote address at Senior Class Day at 9 a.m. on Alumni Lawn. Senior Class Day is open to all graduating students and their families and members of the Vanderbilt community with a ticket. The day will also mark the inauguration of the Nichols-Chancellor's Medal, which carries a cash prize of $100,000 and is being presented this year to disaster relief workers around the world. Mrs. Bush will accept the recognition on their behalf.
The cash prize will be contributed to Vanderbilt to create the Nichols Humanitarian Fund, which will provide travel and living expenses for students and faculty who volunteer for disaster relief assignments around the world. The prize will be given in recognition and appreciation to the First Lady for her remarks to the Class of 2006.
The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal was created and endowed by Vanderbilt Law School graduate Ed Nichols and his wife, Janice, in honor of Edward Carmack and Lucile Hamby Nichols, and will recognize those persons who define the 21st century and exemplify the best qualities of the human spirit. The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal will be presented annually at Vanderbilt's Senior Class Day.
Other events scheduled on Thursday include the Senior Send-off at 1:30 p.m. at Rand Terrace where Chancellor Gee will give his now traditional gift of Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss to each graduate. Six academic seminars, which will also be held in the afternoon, will explore topics ranging from multimedia art and ethics to feminist perspectives on medicine and technology, and the 2008 presidential election.
Commencement will begin with the academic procession at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 12, on Alumni Lawn, which extends from behind the Fine Arts Building on West End Avenue to the Sarratt Student Center. The event will end around noon, with graduate and professional degree recipients recessing around 10:15 a.m. to attend diploma-awarding ceremonies and celebrations involving their individual schools.
In case of severe weather, commencement will be moved to Memorial Gymnasium. Those unsure where the ceremony will be held may call 615-322-7311 after 6 a.m. the day of the event or visit http://www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement for confirmation.
The addresses by First Lady Laura Bush and Chancellor Gee will be webcast live and archived for later viewing. Links will be posted at http://www.vanderbilt.edu. The main commencement ceremony and undergraduate commencement exercises will be videotaped. For ordering information, go to http://www.vandygrads.com.
Further information about commencement activities is available at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement.
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