Commencement 2016

It's the culmination of the real Dawg Nation - On Friday, UGA will welcome its newest class of alumni as approximately 4,343 undergraduates and 1,209 graduate students—for a total of 5,552—have met the requirements to walk in the university's spring Commencement ceremonies:

During the undergraduate ceremony, 36 students will be recognized as First Honor Graduates for maintaining a 4.0 cumulative grade point average in all work attempted at UGA as well as all college-level transfer work attempted prior to or following enrollment at the university.

This spring, student Commencement speaker Karishma Sriram of Athens is graduating with bachelor's degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and plans to attend medical school. Her accomplishments include being a Foundation Fellow and a member of the Arch Society, among many other honors.

An estimated 252 doctoral candidates and 957 master's and specialist degree students will be eligible to walk in the graduate ceremony at 10 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Maurice Daniels, dean of the School of Social Work, will address the graduates and guests.

Everyone takes particular pride in this time of year - parents, foremost, and of course students.The line for photos at the Arch is always striking, no matter how many times you see it. It's the time of year when affection for UGA congeals into something that lasts forever. And for faculty and staff, graduation also takes on special meanings of accomplishment as this next group of extraordinary people stands, cheers and joins a distinguished alumni roster. This is what it's all for.

Commencement ceremonies celebrating individual units within the Franklin College are already in full swing and continue through Friday afternoon. Congratulations everyone on a job well done. Wide smiles, graduates - you've earned 'em.