The University of Colorado at Boulder will hold its spring commencement ceremony on Friday, May 9, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Folsom Stadium, where 5,488 degrees will be conferred.
Stadium gates for the ceremony, which is free and open to the public, open at 7 a.m. and guests are urged to be in their seats at the stadium well before 8:15 a.m. University officials are urging people to arrive as early as possible to avoid traffic delays.
Guests are asked not to bring large purses or bags to the ceremony. People entering the stadium may be subject to search. The ceremony will be held outdoors in the stadium regardless of the weather. However, in the event of heavy rain an abbreviated ceremony will be held.
Sister Helen Prejean, an internationally known death penalty opponent and author of the book "Dead Man Walking," is among six people who will be awarded special honors by CU-Boulder during the commencement ceremony. Prejean, William E. Davis, David L. DiLaura, David Wilson Jr., Long-Sheng Ma and Dale N. Hatfield will receive honorary degrees from CU-Boulder.
Jeanne P. Jackson, former CEO of Walmart.com, Banana Republic and Gap Direct, will give the commencement address. A 1974 CU-Boulder graduate in finance, Jackson is currently the general partner of MSP Capital, a consumer goods strategy and investment firm she founded in 2003. She also serves on the boards of directors for the McDonald's Corp., Nike Inc. and Nordstrom Inc.
Jackson has been recognized among Business Week's "Top 25 Managers of the Year," Fortune magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in American Business" and was included in Vanity Fair's "America's Most Influential Women."
Each spring the commencement ceremony begins with a procession of faculty and all graduates from Norlin Quadrangle to Folsom Stadium beginning at 8 a.m.
Degrees to be awarded include 4,293 bachelor's degrees, 792 master's degrees, 242 doctoral degrees and 161 law degrees.
Many departments within CU-Boulder's schools and colleges will hold events to personally recognize their graduates. Students should check with their individual departments for more information. For a schedule of individual recognition ceremonies visit .
For more information about the commencement ceremony visit /. The ceremony will be broadcast on the Web and can be accessed by visiting the commencement Web site and clicking on the webcast link any time during the ceremony.