104th Commencement exercises to be held May 16 at Stan Sheriff Center

Governor David Ige

Sam Kass

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s 104th Commencement Exercises will take place at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday, May 16, 2014. The Undergraduate Ceremony is from 9:00 a.m. to noon and the Advanced Degree Ceremony is from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.  There will be approximately 1,700 candidates for bachelor’s degrees, a record-high number, and 600 advanced degree candidates.

Keynote speaker for the Advanced Degree Ceremony is Governor David Ige.  A UH Mānoa graduate with an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and a masters in Business Administration from the Shidler College of Business, Ige was sworn in as the eighth governor of the State of Hawai‘i on December 1, 2014. He was previously a state senator and successful electrical engineer and project manager with a 34-year career devoted to information technology, telecommunications, networks, and responsible public policy.

Keynote speaker for the Undergraduate Ceremony will be Sam Kass, former personal chef to President Barack Obama and the first family. During his tenure at the White House, he took on several additional initiatives, including roles as executive director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and senior White House policy advisor for nutrition policy. In these capacities, Kass led the First Lady’s work to help America raise a healthier generation of kids and ensure that kids have the opportunity for long, healthy lives.

Undergraduate student speaker will be Victoria Chang, who is earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Communicology and Chinese.

In the Advanced Degree Ceremony, U Than Oo and Henk Rogers will be awarded the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the UH Board of Regents. U Than Oo is an education leader in Myanmar. For much of his professional life, he worked under challenging circumstances made more difficult as his country was virtually cut off from the outside world for nearly 50 years. Despite these challenges, he made substantial contributions and saw educational gains by applying the professional training that he received at UH Mānoa’s College of Education.  Rogers is the principal and visionary philanthropist of the Blue Planet Foundation, through which he has demonstrated his commitment to environmental stewardship through developing non-carbon, clean energy sources. In business, he is recognized as a global leader in the video gaming industry. His accomplishments in this field and as an environmental activist make him a leading member of the community in Hawai‘i and abroad.

Logistics:

Doors to the Stan Sheriff Center will open at 7:45 a.m. for the Undergraduate Ceremony and at 2:00 p.m. for the Advanced Degree Ceremony. Both events are free and open to the public. No tickets are issued, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Balloons, large signs and strollers are not allowed inside the Stan Sheriff Center.

Parking:

Plan to arrive early, as considerable traffic and pedestrian congestion surrounding the campus is expected.

Graduates who arrive in a vehicle with three or more occupants may park on the University Lab School lawn on the corner of Dole Street and University Avenue (entrance to lawn is on Dole Street). A trolley service will be provided to and from the Stan Sheriff Center. Space is limited so plan to arrive early. Parking on the lawn will open at 6:00 a.m.

Campus parking for guests is free but limited on graduation day. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. UH Shuttles will be available from various locations throughout the campus area. Please check the UH Commencement Transportation webpage for more information.

The road leading from the Waiʻalae gate entrance to the Stan Sheriff Center will be closed before and during the ceremony. The area near the ROTC buildings is reserved.

Those who arrive later in the day should be aware of Rainbow Warrior Baseball game against Cal State Fullerton, which is scheduled to begin at 8:05 p.m. Regular parking rates will apply after 5:00 p.m.

Greeting the graduates:

Friends and family members may greet graduates following the ceremonies at:

Undergraduate Degree Ceremony: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (surnames A-N) and at Les Murakami Baseball Stadium (O-Z). 

Advanced Degree Ceremony: Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (A-Z). 

Authorized lei vendors will be located between the Parking Structure and tennis courts.

Live webcast and more information:

There will be a live webcast of both Undergraduate and Advanced Degree ceremonies. To view the live webcasts, and for other information such as disability accommodations and the Rainbow Shuttle route, see the Commencement website at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/.