{"id":58818,"date":"2024-04-29T07:44:50","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T11:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=58818"},"modified":"2024-11-25T16:18:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T21:18:47","slug":"the-roundhouse-will-be-rockin-mckenzie-arena-to-host-utc-commencement-ceremonies-friday-and-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/the-roundhouse-will-be-rockin-mckenzie-arena-to-host-utc-commencement-ceremonies-friday-and-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"The Roundhouse will be rockin\u2019: McKenzie Arena to host UTC commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo by Angela Foster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the first time since 2019, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commencement will fill McKenzie Arena to the rafters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restrictions that had previously applied to UTC commencement ceremonies\u2014first going virtual due to COVID-19; then limited when returning to an in-person format due to pandemic and public health restrictions; and finally limited seating capacity because of McKenzie Arena renovations\u2014have been lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring commencement will be celebrated with three separate ceremonies over two days starting Friday, May 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the last few years, I have challenged the crowd to make it sound like there were nearly 10,000 people in McKenzie Arena. This time, there are going to be nearly 10,000 people in the arena. So it\u2019s going to be fun to hear what commencement sounds like with all the sights and sounds that go along with it,\u201d UTC Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold L. Hale said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduate School commencement takes place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Dr. Edna Varner<\/strong><\/a>, a UC Foundation Board of Trustee and longtime member of the Public Education Foundation, will deliver the graduation charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two undergraduate commencement ceremonies will take place on Saturday. The College of Arts and Sciences\/College of Engineering and Computer Science ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. The Gary W. Rollins College of Business\/College of Health, Education and Professional Studies ceremony starts at 1 p.m. The featured speaker for both undergraduate ceremonies is UTC alumnus Richard Zhang<\/strong><\/a>, who graduated summa cum laude in 1992 with bachelor\u2019s degrees in chemistry, economics and accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Among the UTC students being celebrated this week:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n