Close to 400 University of Houston-Victoria students are expected to participate in two graduation ceremonies on Saturday and listen to words of wisdom from a successful alumnus.
UHV will hold spring commencement Saturday at Faith Family Church, 2002 E. Mockingbird Lane. The 9 a.m. ceremony will be for graduates of the schools of Arts & Sciences and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. The 1 p.m. ceremony will be for graduates of the School of Business Administration.
“Commencement always is one of my favorite days of the year,” UHV President Vic Morgan said. “Our students have put in so much time and energy to earn their degrees, so we want commencement to be a memorable occasion. It’s a chance for our graduates to celebrate their accomplishments with their family and friends.”
Troi Taylor, president and founding member of Taylor Construction Management in Houston, will give the keynote address.
While pursuing his Master of Business Administration from UHV, Taylor and his wife, Kelley, started a construction management company in Houston. Today, they are managing more than $2 billion in construction projects in Texas and $250 million in projects in China.
James Higgins, UHV Faculty Senate president and an assistant professor of history, will serve as grand marshal of both ceremonies. Roger Welder, a UH System regent from Victoria, will offer greetings on behalf of the UH System Board of Regents.
Morgan will confer the degrees, and the deans of each of the university’s three schools will certify that students have completed their degrees. The outstanding students for the spring semester will be recognized, along with faculty members receiving awards for excellence in teaching, research and service. A live-streaming broadcast of the ceremonies will be available at www.uhv.edu/graduation.
For general information about UHV commencement, contact special events coordinator Nancy Moffett at 361-570-4351 or moffettn@uhv.edu. Students who have graduation questions should contact UHV Student Life & Services at 361-485-4411.
UHV will hold two new events the day before commencement. The UHV International Student Sash Ceremony will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday in the UHV University North Auditorium. The university will provide graduating international students with a sash from their country of citizenship. The students then will wear the sashes at commencement.
The first UHV Class Ring Ceremony will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Walker Auditorium. UHV students and alumni who ordered UHV’s new official class ring will receive their rings. The class rings will first be “blessed” by jaX, UHV’s live mascot at the Texas Zoo. The rings will be placed in a box in jaX’s exhibit on Thursday.
Local residents are encouraged to visit the zoo on Thursday to see the exhibit. Students with a valid UHV ID will receive free admission to the zoo that day.
For additional information about the ring ceremony, contact Kira Mudd, UHV director of alumni relations and annual giving, at 361-570-4869 or muddke@uhv.edu.