December 2018 Commencement

The University of Memphis awarded a total of 1,562 degrees, including 37 doctorates, in two ceremonies at its Commencement Sunday, Dec. 16, at FedExForum.

In the 10:00 a.m. Commencement ceremony, degrees were awarded to graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Loewenberg College of Nursing and University College. In the 2 p.m. ceremony degrees were presented to students from the School of Public Health, Herff College of Engineering, Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management, Fogelman College of Business & Economics, College of Communication and Fine Arts, College of Education and School of Health Studies.

In the morning ceremony, the featured speaker and honorary degree recipient was Donald E. Graham, chair of Graham Holdings Company, previously The Washington Post.

In the 2:00 p.m. Commencement ceremony, the honorary degree recipient was Dr. Robert Waller. Waller is emeritus chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, professor emeritus of Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and retired president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. 

The keynote speaker at the 2 p.m. ceremony was Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. Strickland was sworn in as mayor in 2016 and has spent the first two-plus years of his tenure following through with his inauguration day pledge to apply "new eyes to solve old problems."