UC Irvine’s 2013 commencement season wrapped up Sunday when graduates of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and the School of Physical Sciences gave a spirited Zot and accepted diplomas in the Bren Events Center. In all, 12 ceremonies celebrated  law school and medical school graduates, doctoral and MFA graduates, and master’s and bachelor’s degree recipients.

Behind the scenes, faculty, staff and volunteers worked feverishly to make sure it all went off without a hitch. Here are some of the logistical facts and figures:

  • 45,000: Hits expected on commencement website in the final week (Top subjects, in order, are Web stream, ceremonies and directions/parking.)
  • 36,000: Estimated guests attending
  • 8,662: Students who will walk
  • 7,371: Cars to be parked per day between June 14 and 16 (if last year’s numbers are any guide)
  • 1,968: Social sciences graduates, the largest school cohort
  • 933: Social ecology graduates
  • 930: Biological sciences graduates
  • 709: Humanities graduates
  • 571: Engineering graduates
  • 366: Public health graduates
  • 300: Cities from which people are expected to watch the live Web stream
  • 297: Physical sciences graduates
  • 274: Arts graduates
  • 230: Business graduates (only the second undergraduate business cohort)
  • 216: Information & computer sciences graduates
  • 60: Traffic directors and pedestrian control staff being deployed
  • 51: Nursing graduates
  • 45: Pharmacology graduates, representing a 150 percent jump from last year
  • 33: Countries from which visitors are expected to watch the live Web stream (After the U.S., the top nation is India; others include Hong Kong, Mexico, Argentina, Germany and Italy.)
  • 17: Anticipated cases of assistance rendered to drivers for lockouts, jump-starts, flat tires and gas
  • 12: Times the national anthem will be sung
  • 7: Featured speakers, including UCI alums Kim Sentovich, a senior vice president at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Ha Nhu Nguyen, chief of staff in the Transportation Security Administration’s Office of Global Strategies
  • 3: Average minutes it takes performers to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner”
  • 3: Pairs of official greeters at each ceremony (The team approach mitigates handshake fatigue.)
  • 1: Soon-to-be-retrofitted Student Center Terrace Stage, thanks to a $15,000 fundraising effort by the class of 2013  (The class gift will turn the stage into an outdoor event and concert space with built-in sound and lighting.)
  • Countless: Hugs and photos