COMMENCEMENT

The University of Central Arkansas held graduation ceremonies in August, December and May. While there was a notable difference in the ceremonies because of COVID-19, the university wanted to make sure the students could share their accomplishments with friends and family.

The university conferred 1,863 undergraduate degrees and 726 graduate degrees. Because the traditional commencement ceremonies were canceled for May 2020, some graduates from that semester chose to commemorate their accomplishment by participating in the August 2020 ceremony.

Graduates were given a specified number of tickets to share with loved ones, and the university provided a live stream of each ceremony for those who could not attend in person. In August, the commencement was held on The Stripes in Estes Stadium. In December and May, graduates gathered in the Farris Center.

The 2020-21 awardees for Outstanding Students of the University were Nelson Graves, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Elsa Mattson, College of Business; Octavis L. Mitchell, College of Education; Leslie Lingo, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; and Grace Zimmerman, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. These honors were bestowed at May commencement.

The university awarded Distinguished Professor Emeritus designation to Patty Phelps, College of Education, and Rick Scott, Schedler Honors College.