Commencement-at-a-Glance 2012

An estimated 13,465 graduates – for the third consecutive year, a record – will receive degrees from Rutgers this year. They include approximately 8,989 baccalaureate degrees, 3,239 master’s degrees and 1,230 doctorates (including professional doctorates) and seven specialists of education. Last May, a record 12,882 students graduated.

Location: High Point Solutions Stadium, Busch Campus, Piscataway

Remarks: Greg Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola Solutions and an alumnus (Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Livingston College – now part of the School of Arts and Sciences – in 1982). Brown is a member of Rutgers’ Board of Trustees and the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.          

Honorary degrees:

Besides Greg Brown, Rutgers will present honorary degrees to Martina Arroyo, an American soprano renowned as much for her commitment to developing emerging opera singers as her own performances and recordings (Doctor of Fine Arts), and Shireen Lewis, a 1986 graduate of Douglass College (now part of the School of Arts and Sciences) and founder of SisterMentors, a program under the umbrella of the nonprofit organization EduSeed, which promotes education among historically disadvantaged and underserved communities (Doctor of Humane Letters). 

General information:

This is the second universitywide commencement to be held at High Point Solutions Stadium. All undergraduate and graduate degrees are conferred at this ceremony. The School of Arts and Sciences will graduate an estimated 4,555 seniors at commencement and hold individual department receptions. The remaining schools and colleges will hold convocations or receptions. The schedule follows.

NOTE: Estimated numbers of graduates are from the Office of the University Registrar.

IN NEW BRUNSWICK AND PISCATAWAY

University College Community

Friday, May 11, 7 p.m.

Douglass Residential College

Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m.
Location: Antilles Field, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick
Speaker: Tiffany Dufu, president, The White House Project, Brooklyn, N.Y., which “ignites the leadership of women in business and politics.”

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy

Saturday, May 12, 3 p.m.
158 graduate degrees (150 undergraduate joint degrees counted in their college totals)
Location: Graduate student convocation – Nicholas Music Center, 85 George St., New Brunswick
Speaker: Christiana Foglio, founder and chief executive officer, Community Investment Strategies Inc., Lawrenceville, N.J. Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance, Douglass College (1984) and Master’s of City and Regional Planning from the Bloustein School (1986).
Undergraduate student reception – Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m., University Visitor’s Welcome Center, 100 Sutphen Road, Busch Campus, Piscataway

Mason Gross School of the Arts

Saturday, May 12, 2 p.m.                                                     
156 graduating seniors, 89 graduate degrees (30 Doctor of Musical Arts, 19 Master of Music and 40 Master of Fine Arts)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Location: State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
Speaker: Adam Levin, co-founder and chairman, Identity Theft 911, LLC.

School of Management and Labor Relations

Saturday, May 12, 7 p.m.
71 undergraduate degrees, 169 graduate degrees (additional 90 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)
Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, 83 Rockafeller Road, Livingston Campus, Piscataway
Speakers: Members of the Class of 2012, with their programs and hometowns – Kerry Amerman, Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Manasquan; Ashley F. Han, Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management, Lawrenceville; Barry Kushnir, Master of Labor and Employment Relations, Bayonne; Austen Friedman, Master of Human Resource Management, New York; William M. Dwyer, industrial relations manager, PSEG Services Corp., Newark; president, SMLR Alumni and Friends, Class of 1997.

Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology

Sunday, May 13, 9 a.m.
64 graduate degrees
Location: University Visitor’s Welcome Center, 100 Sutphen Road, Busch Campus, Piscataway

Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick (Undergraduate New Brunswick)

Sunday, May 13, 9:30 a.m.
325 undergraduate degrees (additional 59 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)          
Location: Engineering Quad Tent, Busch Campus, Piscataway
Speaker: Mei-Wei Cheng, president and chief executive officer, Siemens North East Asia and Siemens Ltd., China. MBA, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick

Graduate School-New Brunswick

Sunday, May 13, 10 a.m.
940 graduates
Location: Lot 53A Tent, Busch Campus, Piscataway

University Commencement

Sunday, May 13, 12:30 p.m.
High Point Solutions Stadium

School of Arts and Sciences

Sunday, May 13, 12:30 p.m. (during Commencement)
4,555 graduating seniors
Location: High Point Solutions Stadium, Busch Campus, Piscataway
Speaker: Executive Dean Douglas Greenberg (Bachelor Arts, 1969, with Highest Distinction in History)
For information about individual academic department ceremonies, click here.

School of Engineering

Sunday, May 13, 3:30 p.m.                                                               
692 graduates
Location: Lot 53A Tent (between Hill Center and soccer field) Busch Campus, Piscataway

Graduate School of Education

Sunday, May 13, 4:30 p.m.
377 graduates (350 master’s, 20 doctorates, seven specialists)
Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Ave. New Brunswick

School of Communication and Information

Sunday, May 13, 4:30 p.m.
180 graduate degrees (750 undergraduate joint degrees are counted in their college totals)
Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, 83 Rockafeller Road, Livingston Campus, Piscataway     

Monday, May 14, 10 a.m.
639 graduates
Location: Lawn near College Pond (“Passion Puddle”), George H. Cook Campus, New Brunswick
Rain: Monday, May 14, 10 a.m., Louis Brown Athletics Center, 83 Rockafeller Road, Livingston Campus, Piscataway

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Monday, May 14, 10 a.m.
190 Pharm.D. degrees
Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, 130 College Ave., New Brunswick
Speaker: Dr. Ernest Mario, chairman and chief executive officer, Capnia. Bachelor Science, College of Pharmacy (1961). Honorary Doctorate recipient from Rutgers, which renamed the College of Pharmacy in his honor in 2001. Member, Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni (1998). Former member of Rutgers Board of Trustees and Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers.

Monday, May 14, 3 p.m.
445 graduate degrees
Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center, 83 Rockafeller Road, Livingston Campus, Piscataway             

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony – Air Force

Monday, May 14, 2 p.m.
11 Air Force second lieutenants to be commissioned
Location: Base Theater, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
Speaker: Maj. Gen. William J. Bender, commander, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony – Army

Monday, May 14, 3 p.m.
20 Army second lieutenants to be commissioned (11 in May, nine in the summer)
Location: Student Center, Multipurpose Room, 126 College Ave. New Brunswick
Speaker: David Christian, highly decorated Vietnam veteran. Candidate for U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania's 2012 Republican primary. Graduate, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, 2011. 

IN NEWARK

Joint Convocation

Newark College of Arts and Sciences

Monday, May 14, 10 a.m.
632 graduates

University College-Newark                                                               

77 graduates
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street
Speaker: The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, former governor of New Jersey and former president of Drew University. Former chair, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick – Undergraduate                           

Monday, May 14, 2 p.m.                                                      
603 undergraduates
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street
Speaker: Linda Bowden, regional president, PNC Bank

Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick – Graduate

Monday, May 14, 6 p.m.
692 graduate degrees
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street
Speaker: Dr. Rana Kapoor, founder, managing director and CEO of YES Bank

School of Criminal Justice                                                                                                                 

Wednesday, May 16, 10 a.m.
150 undergraduate and 25 master’s degrees
Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren St.
Speaker: Ralph L. Godbee Jr., chief of police, city of Detroit

College of Nursing

Thursday, May 17, 10 a.m.
160 undergraduate and 74 graduate degrees
Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren St.
Speaker: Andrea Higham, director of Johnson and Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future

Joint Convocation

Graduate School-Newark

Thursday, May 17, 2 p.m.
225 graduates

School of Public Affairs and Administration

Eight undergraduate and 103 graduate degrees
Location: Golden Dome Athletic Center, 42 Warren St.
Speaker: Dr. Maggie Shiffrar, dean-designate, Graduate School, Rutgers-Newark

School of Law-Newark

Friday, May 25, 10 a.m.
242 graduates
Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street
Speaker: Paul Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey

 IN CAMDEN

School of Business-Camden

Thursday, May 17, 9 a.m.                                                                 
219 undergraduate degrees, 84 advanced degrees
Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard
Speaker: J. Mark Baiada, founder and president, Bayada Home Health Care. Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers College (1969), MBA, Rutgers Graduate School of Business (1970).
Student speakers: Jessica Sailey, Swedesboro, (undergraduate) and Al Tomaio, Haddonfield (MBA)

School of Nursing

Thursday, May 17, 10:30 a.m.
55 graduates
Location: Fine Arts Complex, Gordon Theater, Third and Pearl streets.
Speaker: Dr. Susan Hassmiller, RN, senior adviser for nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

School of Law-Camden

Thursday, May 17, 1 p.m.
250 graduates
Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard
Speaker: The Honorable Theodore A. McKee, chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Taught Trial Advocacy at the School of Law, 1980-1991.

Joint Convocation

Camden College of Arts and Sciences                                                          

Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m.
490 graduates

Graduate School-Camden                                                                             

169 graduates

University College-Camden                                                                          

152 graduates
Location: Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Boulevard
Speaker: Dr. Luis Garcia, associate dean emeritus, the Graduate School-Camden
Student Speaker: Jenna Cantarella, Marlton