Commencement Weekend

Commencement 2023 is approaching quickly, and we look forward to celebrating with graduates and their families. Here are some important events—there are some crucial action items for your student.

 

Rain Ticket Pick-Up

Each student will receive four rain tickets for the alternate site of Sid Richardson Center in Mason Complex in case of severe weather. Only once in many years have we had to enact our rain plan (and limit guests), but we must prepare. Please note, these tickets will NOT be re-issued if lost or destroyed, and no tickets will be available on Commencement morning. Students who are not on campus this spring should contact alumni@austincollege.edu. Video access to the ceremony is provided in several campus locations for guests without tickets.

Bring your AC ID to secure your 4 allotted tickets.
These will not be available on graduation day, so get them now!

**RAIN TICKET UPDATE: If you did not pick up your rain tickets last week, there is still time.

You will need to come to the Alumni office:
Kristi Lucchese, 232 Wortham [above Admissions]
Mon.-Thurs. 9am-4pm

The following forms MUST be completed before we can release your tickets:
Senior Deposit | Student Campus Organizations

 

 

Baccalaureate, Friday May 19, 7 p.m. 

Clifford J. Grum Sanctuary, Wynne Chapel

(Seniors in caps and gowns begin lining up at 6:40 p.m., Windsor Mall)

Baccalaureate Speaker: 

The Rev. Dr. Robyn Byrd Michalove
Associate Pastor for Mission
First Presbyterian Church
Fort Worth, Texas

 

 

 

 

Senior Celebration, Friday May 19, 8 - 10 p.m.

Wright Campus Center, Mabee Hall 

Party for Seniors, Families, and Guests immediately following Baccalaureate, hosted by Student Affairs staff and Senior Committee.

 

Commencement Exercises, Saturday May 20, 8:30 a.m.

Clyde L. Hall Graduation Court (north of Caruth Administration Building)

Seniors with caps, gowns, and hoods begin lining up at 7 a.m. in front of Abell Library. Simulcast viewing is available in the Pouch Club of Wright Campus Center for guests who prefer indoor accommodations.

NOTE: Diplomas will not be included in the covers received during the ceremony. Mid-year and May graduates may pick up their diplomas immediately after Commencement ends and for one hour following on the porch of Wynne Chapel. Only graduates, with photo IDs, may receive the diplomas. Those not picked up will be mailed to the address listed on the Graduation Application. Diplomas for summer graduates will be mailed in August.

 

Commencement Speaker:
President Steven P. O'Day, J.D., L.H.D.

16th President of Austin College

President O’Day describes his career in higher education as “being driven by a deeply held belief that we are called upon to personally educate and support the whole student—mind, body, and spirit—in the classroom and lab, on the athletic field, on the stage, in the studio, in the workplace, in the residence hall, throughout the global community, and in every facet of the student experience. This belief is grounded in a blending of the liberal arts and specialized training necessary for lives of significance, leadership, service, and integrity.”

 

 

Senior Speaker: 

Carolina Vazquez Saavedra ’23 was elected by her classmates to present the Student Address. Saavedra, from Austin, Texas, is the daughter of Jose G. Vazquez and Sandra E. Saavedra Gonzales.  She is a Sumner Foundation Scholar, marketing chair for Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, co-founder of Women in STEM interest group, and affiliate member of Omega Zeta. Saavedra traveled to Costa Rica for JanTerm 2023 and served as a peer mentor for Dr. Frank Rohmer, associate professor of political science.

 

Honorary Degree Recipients:

Honorary Doctor of Divinity
Deborah Crombie
Austin College Class of 1976

New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie is a native Texan who writes crime novels set in the United Kingdom. Her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series has received numerous awards, including Edgar, Macavity, and Agatha nominations, and is published in more than a dozen countries to international acclaim.

 

An Austin College alumna, Crombie lives in North Texas with her husband, German shepherds, and cats, and divides her time between Texas and Great Britain. Her latest novel, A Killing of Innocents, is available from William Morrow, February, 2023. She is currently working on her twentieth Kincaid/James novel.

 

Honorary Doctor of Divinity
The Rev. Dr. Robyn Byrd Michalove
Associate Pastor for Mission
First Presbyterian Church
Fort Worth, Texas

 

Rev. Dr. Robyn Byrd Michalove is associate pastor for Mission and Family Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, Texas where she has served since 2004. In that role she has led the congregation’s ongoing effort to serve the community and the larger church. She is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Spanish. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University School of Divinity and her Doctor of Ministry degree from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth.

 

 

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