VCU news

By Mike Porter

December 8 Update

The university-wide Commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Dec. 9, will proceed as planned at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Please allow yourself additional travel time Saturday morning. Doors will open for guests at 8:45 a.m. The university will continue to monitor any changes to the weather forecasts and will continue to provide updates should anything change.  The safety of our students, our graduates and their guests, and our faculty and staff is our primary concern during emergencies and severe weather.

Visit http://alert.vcu.edu for the latest information.

Virginia Commonwealth University will hold its fall commencement activities Saturday, conferring degrees to its August and December graduates.

The commencement ceremony starts at 10 a.m. at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. Members of the public are urged to allow additional travel time to the Siegel Center due to nearby road construction and events.

Parking is available at the VCU parking decks located at 1111 W. Broad St. and 609 Bowe St. Persons with reduced mobility may unload at the corner of Broad and Harrison streets on the Broad Street side of the Siegel Center and park on the ground floor of the Bowe Street Parking Deck.

Retiring Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. “Bill” Howell will deliver the keynote address.

Media credentials are required for access to the floor of the E.J. Wade Arena. Credentials can be obtained during business hours starting Wednesday at the offices of University Public Affairs on the sixth floor at  912 W. Grace St., or may be picked up on the day of the event at the Siegel Center’s west entrance. Reserved parking for media is available in the Bowe Street Parking Deck, 609 Bowe St.

Students will receive professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees on Saturday. There are 2,900 total graduates for August and December. VCU's four-year graduation rate has increased more than 20 percentage points over the last decade, and the university graduates nearly 60 percent more undergraduate students within six years than it did a decade ago.

Share your commencement congratulations, pictures and VCU memories on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using the #VCU2017 hashtag and they may be included in a special VCU home page story celebrating December Commencement.

Watch: The ceremony will be live-streamed at www.vcu.edu and at www.facebook.com/virginiacommonwealthuniversity/.