General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra will deliver the Spring Commencement address for the Ann Arbor campus at 10 a.m. Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Barra, who became the first female CEO of a major automaker in January, will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree.
Also receiving honorary degrees are:
• Dr. James L. Curtis, U-M alumnus, psychiatrist, champion of social justice and philanthropist, Doctor of Science.
• Adele Goldberg, U-M alumna, computer scientist and entrepreneur, Doctor of Science.
• Daniel Okrent, U-M alumnus, author, editor, journalist and cultural historian, Doctor of Humane Letters.
• Marshall Weinberg, U-M alumnus businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist, Doctor of Laws.
Spring Commencement will be broadcast locally on Comcast Channel 22 on the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Comcast cable TV system. A webcast will be available at ldrsnb.st/umichwebcast.
Speaker
Barra is recognized internationally for her vision, business acumen, engineering skills, leadership and passion for automobiles, as well as her strong support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Her automotive career began in 1980 as a GM Institute co-op student. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1985 from the institute, since renamed Kettering University, she received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1990.
She has contributed to GM in roles including plant manager at Detroit Hamtramck Assembly, vice president of global manufacturing, vice president of global human resources, and senior vice president of global product development. Barra served as executive vice president of global product development and global purchasing and supply chain from August 2013 until her recent promotion.
In 2014, Barra ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” She also has been listed among Forbes magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” and received the Kettering Alumni Association’s Management Achievement Award in 2010 and the SAE Foundation Industry Leadership Award in 2013.
Venue
The stadium opens for Spring Commencement seating at 8 a.m. Security guidelines prohibit purses, umbrellas, bags, cases of any size, water bottles and thermoses and other select items. Cell phones, small cameras and hand-held video cameras are permitted. See a list of prohibited and permitted items on the commencement website: ldrsnb.st/umichstadiumitems. All family members and guests attending Spring Commencement, including children older than age 2, need a ticket to enter Michigan Stadium.
Transportation
Free parking is available in all U-M parking structures starting at 9 a.m. Friday, May 2. Guests and graduates are encouraged to use the complimentary shuttle bus service for travel to and from Michigan Stadium. Shuttle services are available beginning at 7:45 a.m. to and from select hotels, central downtown locations, and select university parking lots and structures. All shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible.
Inclement weather plan
Spring Commencement is scheduled to take place in Michigan Stadium rain or shine. The ceremony may be shortened, suspended or concluded in the event of severe weather. If a schedule adjustment is required due to severe weather, instructions will be given to guests via public address announcements. Graduates and guests are asked to listen for announcements and remain seated until instructed otherwise.
Graduate Exercises
Rackham’s University Graduate Exercises are at 10 a.m. Friday in Hill Auditorium, with Okrent as the featured speaker. This is the commencement ceremony for all master’s and doctoral graduates and candidates who receive their degrees through the Rackham Graduate School. For more information, call (734) 647-6037 or e-mail [email protected].
Dearborn and Flint graduation ceremonies
UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint schedule separate morning and afternoon ceremonies.
UM-Dearborn ceremonies were scheduled for April 27 in the Fieldhouse: at 10 a.m. for graduates of the University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Business and College of Education, Health and Human Services, with Nathan Forbes, managing partner of The Forbes Co. and vice chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and at 3 p.m. for graduates of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters with Lolita Hernandez, award-winning author and poet.
UM-Flint ceremonies are May 4 at Perani Arena: at 11 a.m. for the College of Arts and Sciences, 3 p.m. for the School of Education & Human Services, School of Health Professions & Studies, and School of Management. Phil Hagerman, CEO of Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy will deliver the address at the morning session, and Betsy Aderholdt, CEO of Genesys Health System, will provide the afternoon commencement address.
Graduation ceremonies
April 26
College of Pharmacy, 2 p.m., Rackham Auditorium, 764-7144.
May 1
Lavender Graduation, 4:30-6:30 p.m., May 1, Michigan Union Pendleton Room, with Shari Robinson-Lynk and Taylor Portela.
School of Public Health, 3 p.m. May 1, Hill Auditorium, with Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News chief health and medical editor, 214-6430.
School of Kinesiology, 7 p.m., May 1, Hill Auditorium, with Steven N. Blair, exercise scientist and author, 764-4472
May 2
School of Music, Theatre & Dance, 2 p.m., May 2, Power Center for the Performing Arts, 764-0594. This ticketed event is closed to the general public.
School of Information Graduate Recognition Ceremony, 4 p.m. May 2, Rackham Auditorium, with Emmy Award-winning journalist David Hawkins, 647-3110.
Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Accounting & Master of Entrepreneurship Ceremony, 4 p.m., Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. Ceremony, 7 p.m., both May 2, Hill Auditorium, 647-0342.
La Celebracion Latina, 5-7 p.m. May 2, Lydia Mendelsohn Theatre, with Angela G. Reyes, founder and executive director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corp., 763-0192.
Native American Student Graduation Ceremony, 7 p.m., Rackham Amphitheatre, 763-9044.
NROTC Commissioning, 10 a.m., Gerald R. Ford Library, 764-1498.
Psychology Department, 3 p.m., Crisler Center, 647-6243.
Student-Athlete Ceremony, 7:30 p.m., Crisler Center, 615-6923.
May 3
Spring Commencement, 10 a.m., Michigan Stadium, with GM CEO Barra, 647-6037.
School of Nursing, 1 p.m. May 3, Hill Auditorium, 764-9145.
School of Social Work, 1 p.m., Power Center for the Performing Arts, 936-0961.
School of Natural Resources and Environment, 1:30 p.m., with Phil Power, regent emeritus, Rackham Auditorium, 615-4332.
Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, 2 p.m., Art & Architecture Building, 647-9886.
Residential College, 2 p.m., Mendelssohn Theatre, 763-0176.
College of Engineering, 3 p.m., Crisler Center, Crystal E. Ashby, Senior Vice President of Strategic University Relationships at BP America Inc., 810-623-0649.
School of Education, 5 p.m., Hill Auditorium, with Terrence J. McDonald, Bentley Historical Library director, 763-4061.
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, 5 p.m., Rackham Auditorium, with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., 615-3893.
Black Celebratory, 6 p.m., Power Center for the Performing Arts, 936-1055.
May 4
A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, noon, Hill Auditorium, 615-5260.
May 9
School of Dentistry, 1 p.m., Hill Auditorium, with Bernie Machen, University of Florida president, 647-4026.
May 10
Law School Senior Day, 2 p.m., Hill Auditorium, with Kathryn Ruemmler, counsel to the president of the United States, 615-4501.
May 16
Medical School, 3 p.m., Hill Auditorium, with Dr. Larry Brilliant, president and CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund, 763-7981.
