Assembly Hall Project Moves Graduation
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana University says ongoing renovations to Assembly Hall are leading to a change in spring commencement activities. The school says the undergraduate ceremony will now take place at Memorial Stadium.
August 27, 2014
News Release
Bloomington, Ind. — Indiana University Bloomington has announced changes to its commencement activities for spring 2015, as a result of renovations to Assembly Hall.
Undergraduate commencement, at which all associate and bachelor’s degrees will be awarded, will take place outdoors at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Memorial Stadium. All schools, including the College of Arts and Sciences, will participate in the ceremony.
Graduate commencement will take place the day before, at 3 p.m. May 8, in Mellencamp Pavilion, 1001 E. 17th St.
These time and venue changes are necessary because Assembly Hall, the basketball arena where commencement has been held since 2002, is slated to begin extensive renovations after the conclusion of the basketball season.
A $40 million gift from IU alumna Cindy Simon Skjodt to IU Athletics — its largest in history — will be used to make several much-needed improvements at the 42-year-old Assembly Hall. In December, IU President Michael A. McRobbie announced that the building would be renamed Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at the conclusion of the project.
Construction will prevent the arena from hosting spring commencement for the next two years. It will not affect winter commencement in December 2015.
“All of us at Indiana University appreciate the challenges that graduates and their friends and families may face in adapting their commencement plans to accommodate this long-awaited and much-needed construction project,” McRobbie said. “With this in mind, our commencement committee is making all of the necessary plans to ensure that the upcoming commencement season is significant and memorable for all who will take part in this time-honored tradition.”
Spring commencement took place at Memorial Stadium for a dozen years before returning indoors to Assembly Hall in 2002. Several enhancements are planned to make the outdoor ceremony even more comfortable for families attending the event.
Information about May 2015 commencement will be available on the IU Bloomington Commencement website. The commencement team also encourages anyone with questions to email ceremony@indiana.edu or call 812-855-3762.
Source: Indiana University