Northern Arizona University will hold two commencement ceremonies on Dec. 15 to honor the graduating class of fall 2017. More than 2,700 students have applied to graduate this semester.
All commencement ceremonies will be held at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, which will open 90 minutes prior to each ceremony. Parking is available at multiple locations throughout campus, with free shuttle service to and from designated parking lots. For more information about commencement, including accessibility questions, visit NAU’s commencement website.
Commencement ceremonies recognizing candidates for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees:
10 a.m.
3 p.m.
- College of Health and Human Services
- College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
- The W. A. Franke College of Business
- College of Arts and Letters
Claire Schonaerts, an associate professor of elementary and special education, and Nicole Walker, director of the Creative Writing program, will speak at commencement. Schonaerts, who will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony, has taught for more than 40 years, including bringing literacy instruction to China, Russia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. She received the David A. Williams Award for Innovation in 2014 and the College of Education Teacher of the Year Award in 2015 and continues to serve in NAU’s Teachers’ Academy.
Walker, who will speak in the 3 p.m. ceremony, writes about sustainability, the Colorado Plateau and education. She developed the Master’s of Fine Arts program at NAU and is the author of several books; her latest is “Sustainability: A Love Story.” She received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a notable essayist in Best American Essays 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and nonfiction winner of the Best of the Net in 2013 and 2014.
All ceremonies can be viewed live: http://nau-tv.com/Events/. Keep up with real-time traffic updates by following @NAU on Twitter.