November 29, 2004

Boise State Hosts Winter Commencement And Celebration

Boise State will host its fourth winter Commencement at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17, in Taco Bell Arena with President Bob Kustra officiating. Doors will open at 9 a.m. No ticket is needed for family and guests to attend, and parking is free. Cecil Andrus, who served four terms as Idaho governor and also as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Jimmy Carter, will receive an  honorary doctorate, only the second ever conferred by Boise State University. Approximately 500 students are expected to attend the ceremony. In all, 1,478 students have qualified for graduation since the May Commencement, earning a total of 1,505 degrees or certificates. The ceremony will include two large screens that will broadcast the graduates accepting their degrees so that those sitting farther away from the stage will be able to see individual graduates up close. Prior to the ceremony, graduates and their families are invited to a pre-ceremony celebration and continental breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. in the Bronco Gym, located in the Kinesiology Building across from Taco Bell Arena. The breakfast celebration, hosted by the Boise State Alumni Association, will include live entertainment and a professional photographer who will be available to take photos of graduates with classmates and family. Admission is free to graduates and their families. Boise State’s Student Alumni Association (SAA) will also host a Commencement Relief Station with first aid supplies and other services to meet last-minute needs such as polishing shoes or mending a torn gown. At the SAA booth, graduates may also enter a raffle to win a diploma frame worth $150. For more information about the pre-ceremony celebration, contact the Boise State Alumni Association at 426-1698. Boise State began hosting winter Commencement in 2001 because of capacity crowds at the May Commencement ceremonies. This winter Commencement is the 74th overall. -30- Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Relations, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu