To help make 2015 Spring Commencement a special memory for graduates and an expected 40,000 guests, volunteers are needed to pass out programs, answer questions and more.

The Office of University and Development Events is looking for roughly 80 volunteers to help, mostly during the morning hours at the May 2 event at Michigan Stadium.

Volunteers receive a T-shirt to wear to the ceremony along with a concession voucher for a food item and beverage, and a parking pass. They also will be able to see and hear the commencement addresses, as delivered by Zingerman’s co-owners and founding partners Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig.

Karen Isble said volunteering at commencement was something she always wanted to do. This commencement will be her third as a volunteer. The first two times, she has passed out programs at welcome tents.

“I love being the first to welcome families as they arrive,” said Isble, assistant vice president for development services and strategic solutions, Office of University Development. “They are so happy, excited and nervous. Some grads need help finding their way into line or into the stadium. This is a pivotal moment for some of these families, and to be able to share in that unbridled happiness feels great.”

Isble says volunteering also offers a great opportunity to meet with staff from all over the university.

“It may be chilly or rainy, or sunny and warm, but the day ends up being a good one, regardless,” she says.

Most volunteer shifts are from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Michigan Stadium. Volunteers are entered in a drawing to win one of two prizes — four tickets each to a 2015 U-M football game — or one of 20 $25 gift cards to Ann Arbor businesses.

Other volunteer tasks include helping handicapped or limited-mobility guests find their seats; educating and helping guests dispose of their waste into landfill, recycling or compost bins at eco-friendly waste stations; and assisting guests at area hotels find the shuttle bus to Michigan Stadium.

Tags:

• Spring Commencement