Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2004

Contact: Michael Cinelli
713/743-8155 (office)
281/267-7108 (pager)
macinelli@central.uh.edu

HOUSTON, Feb. 27, 2004 – Commencement Weekend 2004 at the University of Houston will start with an event on Friday, May 14, and continue through Sunday, May 16, with special graduation ceremonies for each of the university’s 12 academic colleges and the multi-disciplinary Honors College.

In an effort to make graduation more meaningful and personal for the university’s 5,000 - plus graduates, the university will not hold a general commencement ceremony this year.

Instead, colleges will honor students who complete their undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs during the current academic year. A complete list of the times and locations for each graduation is attached.

“We want to focus Commencement Weekend on the people who deserve special recognition for reaching this milestone in their lives – the students,” said Jerald Strickland, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “College-based graduation ceremonies provide a stronger sense of accomplishment and celebration, since the graduates will be able to share the ceremony with those who are closest to them – their teachers, their fellow students, and their families and friends.

Each college will determine who, if anyone, will deliver a commencement address.

2004 Commencement Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 14

9 a.m. College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences - Hofheinz Pavilion

10 a.m. Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management - Grand Ballroom, Hilton Hotel

1 p.m. Cullen College of Engineering - Cullen Performance Hall

2 p.m. UH Law Center - Hofheinz Pavilion

6 p.m. The Honors College - The Warwick Hotel

Saturday, May 15

9 a.m. College of Education - Hofheinz Pavilion

9 a.m. College of Pharmacy - Cullen Performance Hall

1 p.m. Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture - Architecture Atrium

1 p.m. Graduate School of Social Work- Cullen Performance Hall

2 p.m. C.T. Bauer College of Business - Hofheinz Pavilion

4:30 p.m. College of Optometry - Cullen Performance Hall

6 p.m. College of Technology - Hofheinz Pavilion

Sunday, May 16

2 p.m. College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Hofheinz Pavilion

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most ethnically diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.