Over 400 Emporia State University students are candidates for degrees during winter commencement ceremonies at White Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14.
Graduate ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, while undergraduates will receive their degrees on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Both ceremonies will be held at White Auditorium, 111 E. Sixth Ave. in downtown Emporia.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.
Blake Benson and Wint Winter, both members of the Kansas Board of Regents, will address graduates and undergraduates, respectively.
William Jensen, professor of biological sciences in the School of Science and Mathematics and 2024 Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony.
For those with accessibility concerns, arriving early is recommended. The best entrance to the building for accessibility is the east end of the north doors facing Sixth Avenue. Although not a designated drop-off spot, the easiest place to help passengers out is on Market Street, just south of Sixth Avenue.
For those without their own wheelchair or transport chair, White Auditorium has one wheelchair and one transport chair available. ESU staff at graduation will assist individuals needing to use these to enter and exit the auditorium. The auditorium’s wheelchair and transport chair are only to assist individuals with mobility concerns enter and exit the building. They are not available as seating for the graduation ceremony.
Accessible seating is available on the floor behind the graduates and on the second-floor concourse. An elevator to the second floor is available, and a wheelchair lift from there to the concourse with someone available to assist with using it.
A seating chart indicating accessible seating areas can be downloaded at https://www.emporia.edu/documents/2134/Graduation_Seating.pdf.
Please contact ESU Student Accessibility and Support Services during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, to make accommodation requests 48 hours in advance. You can reach SASS by phone at 620-341-5222 or email at sass@emporia.edu.
For those unable to attend, all ceremonies will be streamed live on the Internet. The link for the live streams as well as other information can be found online at www.emporia.edu/about-emporia-state-university/commencement/.