WT Commencement Ceremonies Set for May 16 and 17

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — About 1,200 West Texas A&M University students are expected to take part in four commencement ceremonies on May 16 and 17.

“Commencement is a wonderful opportunity for our campus to celebrate the success of our graduates, the faculty members who have guided their academic journey, and family and friends who have been their champions,” said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

In all, WT expects to see 1,195 spring graduates and about 180 projected August graduates recognized in the May ceremonies.

Commencement exercises will begin at:

• 10 a.m. May 16 for the College of Engineering and the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities;
• 2 p.m. May 16 for the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and College of Nursing and Health Sciences;
• 10 a.m. May 17 for the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences; and
• 2 p.m. May 17 for the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business.

Each ceremony will be livestreamed at wtamu.edu/commencement.

Wellington High School Principal Jermaine Cantu will deliver the alumni charge. Cantu earned his bachelor’s degree in 2006 and a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2009. He is in his 10th year as WHS principal and his 19th overall year as an educator.

Doors at the center, located on the east end of WT’s Canyon campus at the intersection of Russell Long Boulevard and Fourth Avenue, will open to the public an hour before each ceremony begins. Seating is open and on a first-come, first-served basis at the 5,000-seat center. No tickets are required.

Graduates should arrive one hour before their ceremony is scheduled to begin and check in with their college. Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Fine Arts and Humanities will enter the north door of the center, as will graduate students from Education and Social Sciences and Business. Nursing and Health Sciences and Engineering students will enter the south door, as will undergraduates from Education and Social Sciences and Business.

Parking will be available at the center, with overflow parking available behind the Agricultural Sciences Complex and behind the Virgil Henson Activities Center.

Handicapped parking is available at the center.

Each ceremony is expected to last up to 90 minutes. Graduates will exit in a recessional at the end of the ceremonies, and guests may meet their graduates outside the center.

Sign-language interpreters will be available at each ceremony.

Graduating WT students display self-reliance, courage, resourcefulness and the desire to be part of something larger than one’s self, all values that are central to the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $165 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—