Not for publication
Media invited to cover events during UNC-Chapel Hill’s Commencement weekend, May 8-10
(Chapel Hill, N.C.— May 5, 2015) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host its spring Commencement on Sunday, May 10 at 9 a.m., featuring media and entertainment pioneer and Carolina alumnus, Jason Kilar, as Commencement speaker. Members of the media are invited to attend all of the events scheduled throughout the weekend in celebration of Carolina’s graduates.
In addition to presiding over Commencement, Chancellor Carol L. Folt will connect with students, alumni and their families at a number of special events. She will speak at the Red, White and Carolina Blue Graduation honoring Carolina’s military-affiliated graduates; she will recognize a group of first-generation students during a special diploma signing; and she will participate in the American Indian Center Graduation and the Carolina Latina/o Collaborative’s Exitos ceremony. On Sunday, Folt has reinstated The Chancellor’s Reception and will congratulate students at Polk Place immediately after they turn their tassels.
The weekend will culminate in the formal Commencement presentation, with the Class of 1965 leading the Class of 2015 into the Kenan Stadium to listen to Kilar’s address. As previous founding CEO of groundbreaking online video service Hulu, and current CEO of next-generation mobile video service, Vessel, Kilar ignited the on-demand craze and continues to revolutionize the way people consume entertainment. When he takes the stage, Kilar will be speaking to one of the first generations of Carolina students who have grown up in a world shaped by his ingenuity.
Capturing the excitement and emotions of Carolina students as they share all of these moments with their professors and families will make for moving and celebratory coverage, both leading up to Commencement and on graduation day.
Friday (May 8)
Red, White and Carolina Blue Graduation
9 a.m.
The Great Hall of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union
Folt will attend this special graduation ceremony honoring Carolina’s military-affiliated graduates. The ceremony will pay tribute to their service and their accomplishments as students by presenting graduates that are veterans, currently serving in the military or ROTC students commissioning upon graduation, with red, white and blue honor cords. The students will wear their cords at Sunday’s Commencement as special recognition for their military commitment. This ceremony is part of the University’s continued expansion of support for military-affiliated students. Your coverage would be a great way to acknowledge these dedicated students and service members. For more information, see https://deanofstudents.unc.edu/redwhiteandblue.
Media check-in: 8:45 a.m.
If you would like to cover the event or have any questions, contact: Jim Gregory (919) 962-8431, jim.gregory@unc.edu. He will also be the on-site contact on May 8.
Friday (May 8)
Carolina Firsts graduate diploma signing ceremony
2:40 p.m.
The Dialectic Hall of New West
The pride, excitement and emotion of Commencement are true for all graduating seniors, but for first-generation graduates and their families, this time of year means even more. Folt will acknowledge this milestone when she hand-signs the diplomas of five graduating Carolina Firsts first-generation students. She will make brief remarks before the signing and both she and the students will be available for interviews afterwards.
All five students are recipients of The Friday Award, which honors graduating first-generation college students who share former UNC system President William C. Friday’s passion and commitment for public service and education. While Folt will be signing the diplomas of all 663 first-generation undergraduate students graduating this May, the Friday Award honorees will be the only students to have their diplomas signed in-person. (Capturing the pride of these students and their families would serve as a great 30-second kicker for Commencement coverage or a feature opportunity).
Media check-in: 2:30 p.m.
If you would like to cover or have any questions contact: MC VanGraafeiland (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu. She will also be the on-site contact on May 8.
Saturday (May 9)
Doctoral hooding ceremony
9:30 a.m.
Dean E. Smith Center
Folt will speak at this colorful hooding ceremony, acknowledging those students that became masters in their fields. Graduate students, including those who earned their Ph.D’s in the past academic year rather than just in the spring semester, will come to the stage to have the hood of the Commencement regalia conferred by their advisors or dissertation committee chairs. This is a great opportunity to showcase the diverse areas of academic focus Carolina supports and the exemplary students it inspires to invest in a lifetime of research and learning.
Hooding live stream link: http://commencement.unc.edu/spring/livestream-hooding.php.
The full ceremony will also be available on the University’s YouTube channel a few days afterwards and can be found at http://commencement.unc.edu.
Speaker: Dr. Susan R. Murphy, Carolina alumnus, statistician and 2013 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation genius fellowship recipient, will deliver the keynote speech. Read more about Murphy here: http://carolinachronicle.unc.edu/2015/genius-grant-winner-to-speak/.
Sunday (May 10)
Commencement
9 a.m.
Kenan Stadium
Commencement website: http://commencement.unc.edu/.
Commencement live stream link: http://commencement.unc.edu/spring/livestream-commencement.php.
The full ceremony will also be available on the University’s YouTube channel a few days afterwards and can be found at http://commencement.unc.edu.
The Class of 2015 will be led into Kenan Stadium by the Class of 1965, which is celebrating its 50th Reunion over the weekend. Also, in a meaningful addition to this year’s ceremony, Folt has arranged for an empty chair with flowers to be placed in the first row of seated graduates as a tribute to the students Carolina lost this year.
Speaker: Carolina alumnus Jason Kilar, a media and entertainment innovator, founder and CEO of Vessel and previous founding CEO of Hulu, will deliver Carolina’s spring Commencement address. For more information on, visit http://uncnews.unc.edu/2015/01/30/jason-kilar-founding-ceo-hulu-speak-spring-commencement-2/ and http://www.unc.edu/spotlight/kilars-innovations/.
Kilar photo: http://bit.ly/1tzu9Io.
Kilar will have a small window of media availability following the ceremony. Please contact Jim Gregory if you are interested in interview time: (919) 962-8431, jim.gregory@unc.edu.
Honorary Degrees: During the ceremony, UNC-Chapel Hill will award honorary degrees to six individuals. For more information on all of this year’s honorary degree recipients, visit
Sunday (May 10)
The Chancellor’s Reception
Immediately following Commencement ceremony
Polk Place
Folt will be hosting a reception following the main ceremony in Polk Place to congratulate graduates and their families. All graduates are encouraged to stop by for refreshments. This could serve as a great opportunity to capture color of the joy and emotion of graduation. In the case of inclement weather, the reception will be moved to Lenior Dining Hall.
Inclement weather: The Commencement ceremony will be held in Kenan Stadium. If it rains during Commencement, the Chancellor and organizers may shorten the ceremony, but it will not be relocated. Umbrellas will be permitted, but guests should use caution when opening umbrellas and be mindful of those seated around them.
If severe weather is expected Commencement morning, the University may postpone the ceremony to allow for the threat to pass. If there are weather-related delays, the latest possible start time for Commencement would be 11 a.m. If severe weather threatens while the ceremony is in progress and the attendees’ safety is at risk, the ceremony will be canceled and guests will be advised to seek shelter. The ceremony will not resume. Communications and Public Affairs will inform media representatives about the delay or cancellation. Weather-related updates will also be available at unc.edu and commencement.unc.edu.
Graduates: May Commencement is for students completing degree work this spring or summer. The official number of graduates is not yet available, as not all grades have been recorded or students cleared for graduation. As of May 5, the University registrar estimates that 6,053 students will graduate Sunday: 3,769 with bachelor’s, 1,419 with masters, 217 with doctoral and 648 with professional degrees from the schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing and pharmacy.
Media parking: A limited number of spaces will be reserved in the department of public safety lot off Manning Drive. From Manning, turn onto Paul Hardin/Public Safety Drive (one traffic light west of the intersection of Manning and Skipper Bowles Drive/Ridge Road) and turn left into the public safety lot. Media identification will be required. Parking will be available along the left side of the cones across the lot and toward the 2nd entrance to the lot as indicated by a special sign at the entrance. Do not park in numbered spaces. Please RSVP to MC VanGraafeiland (mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu) no later than noon Friday (May 8).
Media representatives also may use lots and shuttles provided for Commencement guests, explained at http://move.unc.edu/events/commencement/.
A re-paving project is underway on Skipper Bowles Drive. Traffic patterns will be altered to preserve access to all facilities and parking areas along Bowles Drive. The contractors are working with University officials to minimize disruptions during UNC Commencement 2015 weekend. Vehicles must access Bowles Drive from the southeastern entrance off of Manning Drive closest to Fordham Blvd. Traffic flow will be one-way northbound along Bowles Drive. For more information, visit http://move.unc.edu/2015/04/27/skipper-bowles-drive-repaving-project/.
Traffic into Chapel Hill is expected to be slow and heavy from 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Media kits/seating: From the parking lot, walk past the trees to Kenan Stadium. Enter through Gate 6. Walk left, enter at section 120, walk down to the field and turn right to reach media seating on the field. Karen Moon and MC VanGraafeiland from Communications and Public Affairs will be checking in press at the media table and handing out media kits upon entry. Media representatives will not be permitted in student or guest seating areas during the ceremony.
Broadcasters, videographers and photographers: Audio feeds will be available. Access to the field and surrounding track level will be limited to the designated media seating area. The setup will include a good spot for shots of crowd reaction. Broadcasters are asked to bring their own drop cords. At the start of Kilar’s speech, Communications staff will escort photographers for brief straight-on shots of the platform.
Other ceremonies: Many individual schools and departments will hold their own ceremonies during Commencement weekend. Locations and times are posted at: http://commencement.unc.edu/spring/locations.php.
-Carolina-
Communications and Public Affairs contacts:
Jim Gregory, (919) 962-8431, jim.gregory@unc.edu
Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595, karen_moon@unc.edu
MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu