CMU stopped having a summer ceremony and began combining it with the December ceremony in 2004.

“We haven’t had one for a few years now,” said Assistant Registrar Barbara Lindley. “I think it was to cut costs.”

Lindley said students are informed of this decision a year in advance. CMU mails commencement information and diplomas to students in August.

“They’re well aware of their invitation,” she said. “Many of them do come back to walk.”

Ada senior Kassandra Hanrahan said even though she’s graduating this summer, she won’t come return in December.

“I live far enough away that I won’t be coming back,” she said. “If I was in Mount Pleasant I would probably do it … It’s more or less my parents are disappointed, since they wanted to see me walk.”

Grand Blanc senior Korri St. Clair said she is not sure whether or not she will return to walk in the December commencement story pending her end-of-summer graduation.

She said like Hanrahan, if she were to walk, she would do it for her parents.

St. Clair said she is not too happy about the lack of summer commencement ceremony.

“I think it would be nice for all summer graduates to be acknowledged at the time we actually graduate,” she said. “The end of summer still has nice weather and to be honest if I wanted to walk on ice in heels and freeze in a gown — I would have graduated in December.”

It also marks the first time graduates will walk across the stage in the new Events Center.

Commencement Coordinator Sharon L. Russel said in an e-mailed statement there are an expected 2,480 graduates receiving degrees this December.

“Commencement is the first of many academic events to be held throughout the year in the new Events Center,” she said. “And creating a more fitting setting for commencement was one of the driving forces for the renovation.”

Russel said there will be three separate commencement ceremonies for the graduates, all being held in the new Events Center — one at 9:30 a.m., one at 1 p.m. and one at 5 p.m.

She said August graduates also are invited to participate in the ceremony. Each ceremony will have its own speaker. The 9:30 a.m. commencement will feature Nancy Schlichting, president and chief executive officer of the Henry Ford Health System.

Brett Holey, a 1982 CMU graduate and director and senior broadcast producer of NBC Nightly News, will speak at the 1 p.m. ceremony and Andrew Arena, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Division, will speak at the 5 p.m. commencement. He is also a 1985 CMU alumnus.

Grosse Pointe Farms graduate student Alex Grabski said he is intrigued by the new Events Center, though he has yet to see it.

He said his degree is more important than the actual ceremony, though he is attending.

“I’m there for my parents,” Grabski said. “The ceremony isn’t as significant as the graduation itself and completing the program.”

Niles senior Kate Burchett said she is very excited for commencements to be held in the Events Center.

“I think it’s cool we’re going to be the first class to do it,” Burchett said.

Burchett said she is glad it is inside because it will make it easier for people like her grandparents to enjoy her graduation without having to sit outdoors for a long period of time.

Russel said the facility will be excellent for families and friends watching their loved ones graduate.

“The new Events Center will provide a more comfortable atmosphere for the graduates’ families and friends,” she said. “We believe that commencement is the most important day of a student’s college experience and we look forward to celebrating with the first CMU class to graduate in this beautiful facility.”

Pete Engardio is this spring's commencement speaker, which will take place at 2 p.m. May 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Engardio formerly worked at BusinessWeek as a senior writer and editor, and worked at Central Michigan Life during the 1977-78 school year. (Courtesy Photo)

Engardio has worked as a senior writer and Asian Edition editor at BusinessWeek, a magazine based in New York.

Engardio majored in political science and minored in journalism while at CMU. He was a member of the 1977-78 Central Michigan Life staff as a reporter.

“At Central I found a quality of teaching and academic standards that prepared me very well in succeeding in journalism,” Engardio said in a news release. “My professors really pushed for excellence and only accepted the best work. I have been trained to compete with students from the best universities in the nation through my education at CMU.”

Engardio now works as a freelance writer and editor, researching global competitiveness across the world.

Check cm-life.com for more updates.

The local Toys for Tota chapter wants to challenge all Central Michigan University students attending the MAC Championship. Toys for Tots is asking fans to donate one toy for every touchdown the Chippewas score from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday at Ford Field in Detroit. Toys can be donated at any local business that has a box. The challenge is voluntary, but would be appreciated and help celebrate CMU’s participation in the game. For more information, contact Lucinda Clark at 621-7505.

Anishinabe Santa

Anishinabe Santa will visit the Ziibiwing Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 6650 E. Broadway Road. He will be available for photos and will get his sled duct-taped together.

Quartet performance

“The Peter Ostroushko Quartet” will preform from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Moore Hall’s Bush Theatre. Ostroushko is an American folk musician who plays the violin and mandolin and performs regularly on the “A Prairie Home Companion” radio program. He has worked with various musicians, including Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, and his compositions were featured by Ken Burns for the PBS documentary “Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.” Admission is $5 for students and $15 for the general public. People can purchase tickets from the Central Box Office. For more information, go to wcmu.org or contact John Sheffler at 800-727-9268.

Adapt to the world

Students can learn how to adapt to the fast-changing world from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Rowe Hall Room 229. The event is a webinar from the Center for Creative Leadership and is free for CMU staff and faculty. It is $5 for the general public. For more information, contact Nate Holmes at 774-6447.

Habit workshop

A workshop teaching people to become highly effective takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 in Rowe Hall Room 213. Amy McGinnis and Kim Voisin will give presentations during the two-day workshop. Both are accredited in the Seven Habits for Highly Effective People Signature Program and the Seven Habits of Highly Effective College Students. The cost is $105 and includes food and a Franklin Covey Workbook. For more information, contact Nate Holmes at 774-6447.

Commencement

Fall Commencement takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 in Rose Arena. Three ceremonies will be included, which will be divided by degrees and will be held at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Each will include a guest speaker. Daniel Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, will speak at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony. Mary Kramer, vice president and publisher of Crain Communications, will speak at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The Dec. 12 commencement will consist of three ceremonies at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Rose Arena.

Daniel Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, will speak at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony. Mary Kramer, vice president and publisher of Crain Communications, is speaking at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Director of Public Relations Steve Smith said the Board of Trustees can suggest speakers out of those earning honorary degrees. Smith said the submissions for guest speakers also can come from faculty, staff, students and board members.

“Really, anyone can submit for consideration,” Smith said.

Agenda item

When it comes down to who will speak at this December’s commencement ceremonies, the Board of Trustees will go by an agenda.

There also will be an agenda item on the Board of Trustees agenda in December to give the speakers their honorary degrees, Smith said.

Speakers usually are decided based on what the graduates in each commencement ceremony would be interested in hearing. It also is based on who will provide motivation to the students based on life stories, said Commencement Coordinator Sharon Russell.

Interim University President Kathy Wilbur ultimately decides who is invited as the commencement speaker, Russell said.

The May speaker should be decided on in January, Smith said.

“Our goal is to get someone who is prominent and recognizable to our graduates and someone who has an inspirational message based on their life and how they found success and some inspirational words that our graduates can carry with them in their professional lives,” Smith said.

Executive Assistant to the President Mary Jane Flanagan said a worthwhile message to the graduates is important for the May commencement ceremony.

“Certainly with it being one ceremony, we will be trying to achieve that with a speaker and try to get a speaker who is recognizable to students,” Flanagan said.

And with 30,255 seats, that means there are no tickets or limits on family and friends.

Rose Arena, the previous location for commencement, will not be available because of $21.5 million in renovations, which started Sept. 26, to create the CMU Events Center.

“It is important to know tickets will not be required for the May 2010 graduation ceremony,” said Director of Public Relations Steve Smith. “I would anticipate a larger crowd than usual because there are no limits on the number of family members or friends that would be able to participate.”

Each student was limited to six tickets for family and friends when graduation was split into three ceremonies at Rose Arena in previous years.

With the move, two ceremonies will take place in May. The first ceremony is at 4 p.m. May 7 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium for 80 doctoral students. The auditorium holds 1,250 people.

The second ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. May 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for graduate and undergraduate students. Smith said there are approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students expected for commencement in May.

Executive Assistant to the president Mary Jane Flanagan said other venues on campus could not hold the capacity of students in addition to the people they want to bring.

She said commencement is predicted to last about two-and-a-half hours to allow time to announce all the graduates’ names.

Rain or shine

Smith said graduation at Kelly/Shorts Stadium will take place, rain or shine.

“The planning and logistics for the May 2010 commencement is still at its very, very early stages,” Smith said.

Texas senior Barron Miles does not have any problem with the change of location except for the “rain or shine” part.

“I don’t like the fact about the rain,” Miles said.

He is not the only one.

“If it rains, I am not going to be happy,” said Three Rivers senior Ashley Rice.

There are still ideas in place about how to make graduation better for May 2010 in case it does rain, Smith said.

“People would be able to bring umbrellas into the stadium with them, which they cannot do for football games,” he said.

Flanagan said the scheduled time for graduation will change, if necessary. She said if the time needs to be pushed back an hour because of weather, it can — the time of day allows flexibility.

Smith said Kelly/Shorts Stadium hosted commencement ceremonies from 1975, when it opened, to 1991.

When graduation was held in Rose Arena, Director of University Recreation Services Stan Shingles said it held about 4,500 after the end of the arena was used for the stage.

Flanagan said the staging for graduation will be similar to the setup of the Rose Arena graduation. The stage and students will be set up on the turn with the stage at the north end, facing toward the south. Parents, family and friends will be sitting in the three sections of the stadium seats.

The first ceremony held in Rose Arena after the renovations and construction are done is December 2010, Smith said.

An e-mail from University Communications was sent to graduating students about the changes today.

The first ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on May 7 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium for the doctoral students. The second ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for graduate and undergraduate students.

The usual location for commencement, Rose Arena, will not be available because of the renovations to the arena. The $21.5 million renovations began with the groundbreaking Sept. 26.

“The planning and logistics for the May 2010 commencement is still at its very, very early stages,” said Steve Smith, director of public relations.

There are still ideas being worked through about how to make graduations better for May 2010 in case it does rain, Smith said.

“People would be able to bring umbrellas into the stadium with them, which they cannot do for football games,” he said.

Smith said there will be approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students expected for commencement in May 2010.

“It is important to know tickets will not be required for the May 2010 graduation ceremony,” Smith said. “I would anticipate a larger crowd than usual because there are no limits on the number of family members or friends that would be able to participate.”

Smith said Kelly/Shorts Stadium held its last commencement in May 1991. He said there were a number of commencements held there in the 1980s.

“The stadium holds over 30,000 people,” said director of university recreation services Stan Shingles.

Kelly/Shorts Stadium can seat 30, 295.

Shingles said Rose Arena holds about 5,200.

“(They) had to take out one end of the arena for the stage, it probably holds 4,500 (people),” Shingles said.

The first ceremony held in the Rose Arena after the renovations and construction are done will be December 2010, Smith said.

Check cm-life.com for more updates.