GRADUATION

The University of Central Arkansas hosts commencement ceremonies in August, December and May each year to confer degrees to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from UCA’s six colleges and the Graduate School. The ceremonies for August and December allowed friends and family of graduates to fill the Farris Center on campus to celebrate this momentous occasion, but like at many other institutions, the COVID-19 pandemic forced UCA to cancel its two-day May commencement ceremonies. Commencement had been scheduled for May 1 for the Graduate School and May 2 for the additional six colleges. Although the university could not host May commencement, UCA still wanted to share the moment with students and celebrate their accomplishments. To honor graduates, the university created a series of videos with congratulatory messages from President Houston Davis, Provost and Executive Vice President Patricia Poulter and the deans of each college, as well as a listing of graduates by college. Graduates received an email with the commencement video May 2. The university also created a special video honoring recipients of the President’s Medallion for Outstanding Student of the University. The award is normally presented at May commencement. The 2019-20 medallion awardees were Kevin Joshua Knox, College of Business; Sydney Elmore, College of Education; Marley Cash-Powell, College of Fine Arts and Communication; Taylor Nicole Eaves, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; Cagney Kilgroe, College of Liberal Arts; and Randall Reece Rainwater, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.