Cal Poly Spring 2016 Commencement Ceremonies Set for June 11 and 12

Some 4,200 students are eligible to graduate in three ceremonies at Cal Poly’s spring commencement Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12. Ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday in Spanos Stadium.

“Commencement remains the highlight of the academic year for the Cal Poly family,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “We celebrate this major accomplishment in the lives of our graduates who will carry Learn by Doing forward throughout their careers and lives.

“Commencement is also an opportunity to recognize the families, friends, teachers, mentors and peers whose support helped our graduates succeed.

“As our newest alumni ready to leave Cal Poly, we know they will become leaders and innovators in their respective fields while helping to make the world a better place. We ask a lot of Cal Poly graduates for the simple reason that we know they can do it.”

Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Margaret Fortune, the leader of a network of charter schools in Northern and Southern California helping young people from disadvantaged families attend college, will deliver keynote addresses.

Panetta, a former eight-term Central Coast congressman who later served as President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff and director of the Central Intelligence Agency, will address the colleges of Engineering and Architecture & Environmental Design at 9 a.m. June 11 and at 4 p.m. to the colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and Science & Mathematics.

Fortune, who heads Fortune School and launched a network of tuition-free, college preparatory, public charter schools in Sacramento and San Bernardino counties, will address the College of Liberal Arts and Orfalea College of Business at 9 a.m. June 12.

New this year, the program will accommodate students’ request to have their names read at the universitywide ceremony where degrees are conferred by the president and where the Cal Poly Proud pinning takes place. The program has been adjusted to more closely match Cal Poly’s December commencement ceremonies and create a memorable experience for all.

The university will award honorary doctorate degrees to four individuals at 4 p.m. Saturday during the ceremony for Cal Poly’s colleges of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences and Science and Mathematics at the ceremony.

The honorees are: Charles L. “Chuck” Harrington, the chairman and CEO of Parsons Corp. as well as a Cal Poly alumnus and advisor to President Armstrong; Paul V. McEnroe, a longtime Cal Poly advisor and electrical engineer who led a project at IBM to create the UPC bar code; his wife, Tina Hansen McEnroe, a Cal Poly alumna and preservationist and educational visionary; and José Zaglul, the president of EARTH University, an international, not-for-profit institution in Costa Rica, and a Cal Poly partner for more than a quarter century.

More than 40,000 visitors are expected to attend Cal Poly’s 75th annual commencement ceremonies.

The commencement schedule is:

Saturday, June 11
9 a.m.
College of Engineering — 1,042 eligible graduates
College of Architecture and Environmental Design — 311 eligible graduates

4 p.m.
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences — 755 eligible graduates
College of Science and Mathematics — 620 eligible graduates

Sunday, June 12
9 a.m.
College of Liberal Arts — 620 eligible graduates
Orfalea College of Business — 590 eligible graduates

In addition, 90 Extended Education students are eligible to graduate.

Permits are not required to park on campus during commencement. Because of road closures and residence hall move-out traffic, guests need to enter campus from Highland Drive. Follow directional signs for parking, which is available in H1, H12, H14, and H16 lots. Disabled parking is available in H1, H2 and C7 lots.

Shuttles will be available for guests with mobility impairments and one companion; wheelchairs will also be available to check out.

Parking and shuttle information can be found on the Cal Poly Commencement app, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store.

For more details on commencement, including live streaming of the ceremonies, visit:
https://commencement.calpoly.edu/.