June 10, 2016

ConGRADulations!

More than 8,000 Anteaters collect diplomas at commencement 2016 this weekend

By Cathy Lawhon

History graduate Melissa Sigona hugs informatics graduate Max Uzoukwu during UCI's combined commencement ceremony Sunday, June 12, for humanities and information & computer sciences. Steve Zylius / UCI
Humanities graduates give a "Zot!" cheer for the camera before commencement Sunday. Steve Zylius / UCI
Erin Gruwell '91 speaks to humanities and ICS grads at the Bren Events Center. Steve Zylius / UCI
An ICS grad sports a creative mortarboard at commencement Sunday. Steve Zylius / UCI
Public health grads Tiffany Truong (left) and Janelle Tomagan pose for a photo with nursing science grad David Bisares after their commencement ceremony Saturday, June 11. Steve Zylius / UCI
Public health, nursing science and pharmaceutical sciences graduates thank their parents at the conclusion of commencement Saturday. Steve Zylius / UCI
Pharmaceutical sciences grad Tiffany Huynh waves as she walks down the center aisle during commencement Saturday at the Bren Events Center. Steve Zylius / UCI
Humanities dean Georges Van Den Abbeele (left) and ICS dean Hal Stern lead the "Zot!" cheer at the conclusion of commencement Sunday. Steve Zylius / UCI
The Vermillion Vocalists perform the national anthem before Saturday's commencement ceremony for nursing science, pharmaceutical sciences and public health grads. Steve Zylius / UCI
Pharmaceutical sciences grads line up outside the Bren Events Center on a drizzly Saturday morning. Steve Zylius / UCI
History and political science grad Mark Barcelona exults onstage during commencement Sunday. Steve Zylius / UCI
Sociology major Aaron Wright does a victory dance at the UCI School of Social Sciences' commencement ceremony Friday, June 10. Steve Zylius / UCI
Political science major Roarke Catubig and anthropology major Carol Jung celebrate during the ceremony at the Bren Events Center. Steve Zylius / UCI
The UCI commencement ceremony for the School of Social Ecology gets underway Friday, June 10. Steve Zylius / UCI
An exuberant grad skips down the center aisle during the social sciences ceremony. Steve Zylius / UCI
A social ecology grad poses atop the suitably attired bronze Anteater in front of the Bren Events Center. Steve Zylius / UCI
Excited social ecology grads line up before the commencement ceremony. Steve Zylius / UCI
Social ecology grads write their info on cards prior to the ceremony. Steve Zylius / UCI
Social ecology grads thank their parents at the conclusion of their commencement ceremony. Steve Zylius / UCI
Social ecology major Brennan Lagman exults onstage. Steve Zylius / UCI
Graduates at the Bren Events Center chant "Zot! Zot! Zot!" during commencement. Steve Zylius / UCI
Social sciences grads relax before commencement. Steve Zylius / UCI
Law school grads celebrate after their May 7 commencement in Aldrich Park. Courtesy of the UCI School of Law
Law school grads wave and point to friends and family members in the audience at commencement. Courtesy of the UCI School of Law
Law school grads prepare before the ceremony. Courtesy of the UCI School of Law

With enthusiastic rounds of “Zot! Zot! Zot!” and more than 8,000 handshakes over the weekend, members of the University of California, Irvine class of 2016 are celebrating their academic achievement, following in the footsteps of the first graduating cohort 50 years ago. Ten ceremonies will take place June 10-13 in the Bren Events Center. The School of Law and School of Medicine held their commencement events earlier.

UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman urged the newly minted Anteater alumni to carry the values of intellectual inquiry and “well-earned opinion” into their everyday interactions in the world.

“At universities,” he said, “we don’t decide whether light is a particle or a wave by shouting each other down. We keep talking and listening to each other and improving the quality of the ongoing conversation.

“I mention this today because this frame of mind is not only essential to the workings of a university; it is also essential to the workings of any free, diverse, democratic society.”

Here’s a look at commencement 2016 by the numbers.

Countless: Dollars spent at crafts stores for mortarboard decorations
50,000+: Estimated guests attending
21,171: Estimated photos of graduates during ceremonies
18,000: Estimated cars parked
8,348: Total degrees awarded
5,000+: Hits expected on commencement website
150: Parking attendants
130: Volunteers
49.3: Percentage of graduates who are first-generation college students
14: Graduates at UCI’s first commencement, in 1966
12: Peter the Anteater appearances at ceremonies
6: Average number of seconds it takes to walk across a commencement stage
5: Countries in which the most friends and family members are expected to watch the live stream – U.S., India, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan
5: Length in feet of the UCI mace carried in all graduation exercises and student convocations since the UCI Alumni Association presented it to the university in 2000
1: Day to remember

“On behalf of all of us on the faculty, let me say to you, the class of 2016, that you have enriched us immeasurably,” Gillman concluded, “and we are grateful for the honor of having you as our students. With great pride, we congratulate you – and we salute everyone who cares about you – on your outstanding achievement that is represented by today’s ceremony.”

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