More than 4,000 graduates are expected to participate in the University of Michigan Spring Commencement at 10 a.m. April 26. The annual event for the first time has been moved to the Diag on Central Campus, due to construction at Michigan Stadium. Logistics for moving some 30,000 people –graduates, parents and guests — in and around the Central Campus area have been planned carefully and will require cooperation from all involved.

Venue

Spring commencement seating opens at 7 a.m. Saturday. Graduates and candidates should begin to gather at McDivitt-White Plaza at 8 a.m. (visit www.commencement.umich.edu/maps/gradassy.html for a map of the specific location). The graduate procession from the assembly area begins at 9 a.m.

Seating for families and guests is general admission. Guests can begin taking their seats at 7 a.m. and are requested to be seated by 9 a.m. if they wish to view the procession. For a map of access points visit: www.commencement.umich.edu/maps/campus.html

Wheelchair seating is available. Also, Hill Auditorium will be open for indoor viewing of a live video feed of spring commencement. Seating in Hill Auditorium opens at 8:30 a.m., and is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Transportation

Spring commencement guests and graduates strongly are encouraged to use the complimentary shuttle service in order to avoid expected traffic and parking congestion. Shuttle buses will service local hotels and University lots; they are wheelchair accessible. Shuttles run approximately every 20 minutes from 6:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. For more shuttle information, visit: www.commencement.umich.edu/maps/

Complimentary parking will be available at the following structures: Ann Street Structure, Church Street Structure, Fletcher Structure, Glen Structure, Hill Structure, Palmer Structure and Thompson Structure. The Thayer Structure will not open until 11 a.m. to provide parking for guests attending programs later that day.

Inclement weather plan

The undergraduate commencement ceremony will take place outdoors regardless of rain or other non-severe weather conditions. In the event of rain or inclement weather, the ceremony’s Order of Exercises may be shortened, while still maintaining essential elements such as the conferring of undergraduate degrees. If a schedule adjustment is required due to severe weather, instructions will be given to commencement guests via public address announcements and video screen messages. For the safety and comfort of all Spring Commencement guests, umbrellas are not permitted.

Items allowed

Graduates and guests are encouraged to bring only necessary items to Spring Commencement. Permitted Items: Binoculars; pagers and cell phones; clear, sealed plastic water bottles; small cameras and hand-held video cameras; blankets and rain apparel.

Prohibited Items: Aerosol and spray cans; umbrellas; flags and flag poles; signs, banners, balloons, balls, and inflatable items; alcoholic beverages; coolers, thermoses, cups, bottles, cans, flasks; camera tripods; strollers; pets or animals (assistance animals are permitted); weapons.

Speaker

Bob Woodruff, former ABC News anchor, a Michigan native and 1987 Law School alumnus, will address this year?s graduating class. Woodruff, who earned his undergraduate degree from Colgate, joined ABC News in 1996 and has covered major stories throughout the country and around the world for the network. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the commencement ceremonies.

He was named co-anchor of ABC’s “World News Tonight” in December 2005. On Jan. 29, 2006, while reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces, a roadside bomb seriously injured Woodruff when it struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq. In February 2007, just 13 months after being wounded, he returned to ABC News with his first on-air report, “To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports.”

Broadcast

A live broadcast of the spring commencement program will be carried on the Michigan Channel (Comcast cable TV channel 22) in the greater Ann Arbor area beginning at 10 a.m. A Web link to live streaming video of Spring Commencement will be available at: www.umich.edu/news.

Graduate exercises

University Graduate Exercises are at 1 p.m. April 25 in Hill Auditorium. This is the commencement ceremony for all master’s and doctoral graduates and candidates who receive their degrees through the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. This program individually recognizes doctoral degree recipients. Allen, who earned a master’s degree in mathematics at U-M and designed programming language to help crack Cold War-era codes, will address the graduates.

Assembly for graduate students and candidates

Graduates and candidates participating in University Graduate Exercises gather in Rackham Auditorium on April 25, beginning at 11:45 a.m., arriving no later than 12:15 p.m., to participate in the academic procession to Hill Auditorium.

Faculty marshals assist graduates and candidates in assembling for the procession. Doctoral degree recipients gather in a designated area within Rackham Auditorium. They receive their name cards and are arranged in alphabetical order, by degree earned, to ensure the correct order for diploma distribution during the ceremony.

Media

Information for the media attending commencement can be found at: www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6500

Diag preparations underway for Spring Commencement