Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications
The University of Mississippi will present degrees to more than 4,000 students Saturday (May 14) at its 163rd Commencement. The ceremony, set for 9 a.m. in the Grove, features renowned broadcast news anchor Tom Brokaw as speaker.
The College of Liberal Arts and individual school ceremonies will follow at various locations throughout the day.
In case of rain, the main ceremony will be moved to 9:30 a.m. at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. If the weather is threatening, a decision on moving the ceremony indoors will be made by 8 a.m. and announced through media outlets, text messaging and the Ole Miss website.
You can access our online campus map and select commencement for up-to-date Commencement venues, information booths, shuttle stops, parking areas, and restaurant and restroom locations.
If you are not able to attend Commencement but would like to watch the ceremony, we will be live streaming morning Convocation from the Grove. Please visit www.youtube.com/olemiss. The stream will begin promptly at 9 a.m.
To help make your visit to campus more enjoyable, here are a few important pieces of information.
Full Schedule of Commencement Events
Friday, May 13
4 p.m. – Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Ceremony, Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts (tickets required, contact the Dean’s Office)
7:30 p.m. – Graduate School doctoral hooding ceremony, Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, May 14
9 a.m. – Convocation, the Grove
Inclement Weather – 9:30 a.m., The Pavilion
11 a.m. – College of Liberal Arts master’s degree ceremony, Fulton Chapel
Inclement Weather – 11 a.m., Jackson Avenue Center
School of Law – the Grove
Inclement Weather – 5 p.m., Manning Center
School of Engineering – Lyceum Circle
Inclement Weather – 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., Fulton Chapel (Contact the Dean’s office for individual department ceremony times.)
School of Education – the Grove
Inclement Weather – 2:30 p.m., C. M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum
School of Business Administration – C. M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum
Patterson School of Accountancy – Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts (Tickets required; contact the Dean’s Office.)
School of Applied Sciences – The Pavilion
General Studies – Manning Center
2:30 p.m. – College of Liberal Arts – The Pavilion
School of Pharmacy – Manning Center
Meek School of Journalism and New Media – Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts (Tickets required; contact the Dean’s Office.)
*Overflow for Ford Center will be in the center’s Studio Theater.
Parking and Transportation
It is recommended that you park in the lots designated for the school or college ceremony you will be attending after convocation concludes. A full list of these designated parking areas can be found here.
A printable guide to parking and other information can be found here.
No parking or drop-off will be available on University Avenue or the Circle. Note that once Convocation starts, vehicle access to the Grove is limited until Convocation and school ceremonies in the Grove conclude.
For safety reasons, parking is not permitted along roadways, sidewalks or grassy areas.
ADA Information
A shuttle service will be available for handicapped and elderly visitors. All guests who require assistance should park in the garage attached to The Pavilion on Hill Drive. Wheelchairs, if needed, must be provided by families. To request assistance, call 662-915-7235.
Emergency Medical Services
EMS will be available at the UPD area of the Welcome Center on University Avenue for Commencement and the remainder of the day. All information booths and ceremony venues will have basic first-aid kits. For immediate assistance, dial 911.
Information Booths
Should you need additional assistance, information booths will be located around campus to provide assistance with shuttle inquiries, maps, driving directions, UPD communication, general first aid supplies and lost-and-found. Complimentary water will also be available.
- Entrance to the parking garage at The Pavilion on Hill Drive
- Welcome Center on University Avenue by the Grove (official UPD EMS station)
- Entrance to Tad Smith Coliseum
- South side of Manning Center
- Ford Center
- Intersection of West Road and Fraternity Row
- Rebel Drive-Fraternity Row intersection
- Student Union Drive-Rebel Drive intersection
- University Avenue-University Place