The end of the academic year is rapidly approaching, and so is the spring commencement ceremony.
The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. May 13 in the Kibbe Dome. Prior to the event, all students attending will line up by college on the Administration Building lawn around 8:30 a.m., said Kevin Ketchie, assistant to University of Idaho President Chuck Staben.
Ketchie said this year’s commencement speaker is alumna Marilyn Denis. Denis, who is a co-host on the Canadian morning show “Roger and Marilyn,” will receive an honorary doctorate from the university.
“The guest speaker is only one aspect of the commencement,” Ketchie said. “We have honorary degree presentations, oath of office, recognition of honor students and then the actual distribution of diplomas.”
Former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne will also receive an honorary doctorate.
Ketchie said attendance at the event is expected to be dense.
“We are expecting about 8,000 to 9,000 folks,” Ketchie said.“We have to look at how many graduates there are, and factor in at least five to seven guests per graduate in order to form an estimate.”
Ketchie said organizing, planning and executing a successful commencement takes months of work.
“We literally start preparing for the spring ceremony right after the December commencement,” Ketchie said. “So, we are looking at what’s going on, who we have for possible recipients of honorary degrees and guest speakers by mid-January.”
Ketchie said he is excited to hear Denis speak — one worth remembering.
“Marilyn Denis, she has a long background in communications. I feel like she’s going to be able to really connect with the students,” Ketchie said. “I think her speech will also be humorous as well, so I think it’ll be a speech people will remember.”
Heather Chermak, the university registrar, said she is also optimistic about what Denis has to say.
“She’s an alumna of the university, and she’s been very successful in Canada, where she has her own talk show,” Chermak said. “So, I think her speech will be both awesome and interesting.”
Chermak said experiencing the commencement ceremony is one of the most encouraging and rewarding things there is to do on campus.
“Commencement really is a celebration of our students and their success and accomplishments,” Chermak said.
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected]