An estimated 4,365 Iowa State students will become alumni this weekend when they receive their diplomas at one of three commencement ceremonies. This is an increase of about 340 graduating students over last spring.
Lamont
Graduate College
The Graduate College commencement is on Friday, May 8 (8 p.m., Hilton Coliseum) and will honor an estimated 467 master's and 105 doctoral students. Animal science professor Susan Lamont will address the graduates. Lamont has been a member of the animal science department for more than 30 years and is the C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences. She leads an active research program with an emphasis on determining the molecular genetic control of important biological traits. She has won several awards for her research and service from Iowa State and scientific organizations.
DeLano
College of Veterinary Medicine
The College of Veterinary Medicine will confer Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees on a projected 149 candidates on Saturday, May 9 (noon, Stephens Auditorium). The guest speaker is Vet Med alumnus James DeLano, who co-founded the SCAVMA Scamper, a popular race-with-your-dog fundraiser still going strong in Ames. DeLano is co-founder of the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center, San Ramon, California, which cares for more than 17,000 animals each year.
Rastetter
Undergraduate ceremony
An estimated 3,644 undergraduates will receive their diplomas on Saturday, May 9 (1:30 p.m., Hilton). State Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter will address the students. A lifelong Iowan, Rastetter is CEO of the Summit Group, which includes operations in agribusiness, production agriculture, renewable energy and international development. He has served on the Board of Regents since 2011 and has been president for almost two years.
Tickets are not needed for the commencement ceremonies. For those unable to attend in person, the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies will be video streamed live on the registrar's graduation website. Video replay of the two events will be available next week for approximately a month.
Before and after the undergrad commencement ceremony, graduates and guests are welcome to post messages of congratulations on social media, using #cyclONEgrad. All are welcome to follow the conversation on the Tagboard site. Posts will be shared on the Hilton videoboard, but not during the ceremony.
The academic colleges also will honor their graduates during their own receptions and convocations Friday and Saturday. The ISU Alumni Association will host a free open house for all graduating students and their families immediately following the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday afternoon (approximately 4:30 p.m., Alumni Center).
