Commencement. Graduation. Celebration and relief.
Completion. Excitement and uncertainty. Happiness and anxiety.
Starting a new chapter. Moving out and on. Graduate school or a new
job. Â
These are the descriptive words and phases for the next week or
two. For many, the years at UCLA ““ 2, 3, 4, perhaps longer
““ have ended. For a smaller number, the years here in
Westwood will continue with graduate school.
It has been an interesting evolution over the years as to how
UCLA says good-bye to each graduating class. As an infant
institution in Westwood 70 years ago, UCLA commencement was held at
the Hollywood Bowl during the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s.
The construction of an open-air theater along LeConte
Avenue allowed commencement to be held on campus during the
1940s, but the construction of the UCLA
Hospital replaced the amphitheater. After a return to the
Hollywood Bowl in 1950 and 1951, commencement returned to campus in
1952, in Dickson Court North, named for UCLA’s founding
father, Edward A. Dickson.
With the enrollment growth of the early 1960s, it is not
surprising that yet a larger venue was necessary, beginning with
Pauley Pavilion in 1965 (the first event ever held in
Pauley) and, in 1969, at Drake Stadium. As
enrollment grew and attendance at commencement increased each year,
the annual ceremony soon began to see attendance exceeding 25,000,
with temporary bleachers framing the track stadium and the crowds
overflowing.
In 1987, separate ceremonies were held for the professional
schools and for the College of Letters & Sciences, with the
College maintaining a single ceremony in Drake Stadium. Then, in
1990, the College commencement subdivided into four divisional
events on Saturday and Sunday of commencement Weekend ““ one
for each of the four academic divisions of the College. As
individual-recognition departmental graduations began to develop in
the late 1990s, student participation and family attendance
unfortunately declined dramatically at the four divisional
commencements.Â
In 2002, a final change was made. A single all-College
commencement was held in Pauley Pavilion at 5:00 p.m. on Friday,
presided over by Chancellor Carnesale who conferred the
baccalaureate and master degrees on the Class of 2003 as a group.
Saturday and Sunday then were dedicated to approximately 30
different departmental graduations, ensuring that every
undergraduate student in the College had the opportunity to be
individually recognized at a departmental graduation.
Last year was a rousing success ““ more than 2,300 students
and 8,000 guests attended the very festive all-College commencement
and more than 4,500 students and 45,000 guests attended the
departmental graduations. A special prequel ceremony was also held
on Friday at Royce Hall for those students who had completed
College Honors.
This is what lies ahead for the Class of 2003 from Friday, June
13 through Sunday, June 15. Many faculty and staff have worked hard
to make the events even more successful this year. Coupled with the
Ph.D. hooding ceremony on June 12, eight professional school
commencements on June 13 and 14, and six student celebrations, more
than 45 separate events will bring more than 80,000 individuals to
campus during a 72-hour period of happiness and celebration.
Congratulations, and enjoy your special moment!
John Sandbrook is assistant provost of the College of
Letters and Science. Sandbrook enrolled as a UCLA freshman in 1967,
wrote for the Daily Bruin from 1968 to 1973, and received both his
B.A. and M.B.A. from UCLA. John began his employment as a UCLA
administrator in 1973 and recently marked the completion of 30
years of employment.