Spring 2024 Commencement
The Smith School's commencement ceremonies are on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the XFINITY center. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and the graduate ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Commencement Speakers
Graduate Speaker: Wendy Sanhai
Dr. Wendy R. Sanhai, MBA ’09, has extensive experience across a broad spectrum of issues in biomedical research and regulatory science. Throughout her career, she has held key leadership roles in academia, at federal research and regulatory organizations including the NIH, the Foundation for NIH (FNIH) and the FDA and, most recently, within regulated industry. Dr. Sanhai serves on various boards and committees, including serving as a Senior Executive Fellow and past Chair of the Advisory Board at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is also an Associate Professor (adjunct) at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Sanhai received a Ph.D. in clinical biochemistry and structural biology from the School of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo; an Executive MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland; and a baccalaureate degree in chemistry from the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Undergraduate Speaker: Bill Boyle
Bill Boyle ’81 founded and was president of FiberGate, Inc., a Washington D.C. metro area provider of Dark Fiber services. FiberGate developed local fiber optic backbones along strategic routes in Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Frederick Counties in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the City of Alexandria, Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties in Northern Virginia. Mr. Boyle ran the company for 17 years and successfully exited in the fall of 2012. Currently, he invests and works with startup companies, many of which come through the Dingman Center Angels investor network. Some of Mr. Boyle’s investments include Card Isle, Divvy Cloud, Cobrain, Vitus Vet, DescribeIt, ZeroFox, Wild Kombucha and Pendo.io. Mr. Boyle serves on the Dingman Center For Entrepreneurship Board of Advisors. In this capacity, he provides time, treasure and talent to advance the Center’s mission to support entrepreneurs of all kinds.
Virtual Swag
Tickets
Campus Ceremony
Tickets are required for all graduates and their guests. More information can be found on the UMD Commencement website.
Smith School
Tickets are not required for the Smith School ceremonies in Xfinity Center on Wednesday, May 22. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and the graduate ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Location and Parking
Commencement will be held at the XFINITY Center on campus. General guest parking is in lots 4, 6, 9 and 11. Anyone with an ADA permit or otherwise needing accessible parking should park on the 2nd floor of Terrapin Trail Garage. Drivers should go in through the middle entrance of the garage.
View directions for:
Please note that some items are prohibited in the XFINITY center. A few examples include balloons, noisemakers, strollers and backpacks. More information on prohibited items can be found here.
Accessibility
Those with limited mobility should park in Terrapin Trail garage. Wheelchair seating will be available at the top of section 120. There will be Xfinity staff near the garage entrance to help direct people who need help finding section 120.
Those who need the ASL interpreter should sit in the first few rows of section 114. Xfinity staff will reserve the first three rows for those who need this service.
Regalia Information
Academic regalia are the traditional dress for degree candidates participating in college, school and department convocations, as well as the university-wide commencement ceremony.
On Campus
University Book Center
Academic regalia is available for purchase from the University Book Center (UBC). The UBC will continue to provide regalia services up until commencement. Gown sizing and hood colors may be limited after April 20. Along with full regalia packages, the UBC will stock individual pieces, including the tassel, stole, and hood.
Contact Us
Office of Smith Programs & Events
4570 Van Munching Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
smithcommencement@umd.edu
February 2024
Guidelines on participation in commencement activities for undergraduate and graduate students with pending degree requirements.
These guidelines should be published on college advising websites, as well as on the Campus Commencement website and the Diploma Services webpage on the Office of the University Registrar’s website.
Undergraduate and graduate students who are close to completing their degree requirements may be permitted by their college, at the request of the student, to participate in spring departmental, college, and/or campus commencement activities if they can demonstrate that they intend to complete all degree requirements before the first day of classes in the next fall semester. Colleges may define criteria for summer graduates to be considered for participation in May commencement ceremonies, such as the number or type of credits or courses left to complete the degree. Students should consult school or college commencement websites for details.
Participation in commencement activities (including the main commencement ceremony) does not imply degree completion or graduation, nor official degree completion in that particular spring semester. All degree requirements must be completed before a degree and diploma can be awarded.
Undergraduate students who are pursuing a double degree, and who intend to complete all graduation requirements for one of the degrees before the first day of fall classes, may participate in the ceremonies for that degree. Students who are pursuing a double major must complete all degree requirements for both majors before the first day of fall classes to be able to participate in these ceremonies.
Procedurally, students who plan to complete their degree requirements in the summer and wish to participate in spring commencement ceremonies must contact their academic college (in the case of undergraduate students) or academic department (in the case of graduate students). If the request is approved, the college or department will notify the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) as soon as possible by sending the student’s name, UID, and email address to Diploma Services at diploma@umd.edu. OUR will then communicate with the student and the ticketing office accordingly. Once this process is completed, the student will be eligible to receive tickets for the main ceremony and may participate in the department or college ceremonies.
In the interest of having the printed main commencement program be as accurate as possible, students’ names will be included in this printed program only if they are expected to graduate in the spring. Depending on the timing of when OUR receives notification, however, late additions and deletions may not be accurately recorded in the printed program. Colleges and departments have the discretion to include the names of summer graduates who participate in the spring ceremonies in their printed programs if they wish.