Commencement ceremonies planned for Friday and Saturday

Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker ’78 will return to her alma mater this weekend to deliver the commencement speech for Rice University’s Class of 2019.

Parker’s address will highlight two days of ceremonies honoring the university’s newest graduates. Degrees will be conferred following her speech in the Academic Quad May 11. Individual recognition of graduating students will take place May 10 during separate ceremonies at which each degree recipient will be named, presented and congratulated.

Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker ’78 will present the commencement address at the plenary ceremony in the Academic Quad May 11.

Friday’s ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. with the Advanced Degrees Convocation in Tudor Fieldhouse. All recipients of a master’s degree, except for MBAs, are expected to attend, along with graduates who are receiving an Artist Diploma in Music or a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

The Jones Graduate School of Business Investiture for MBA Programs will be at 1 p.m. Friday in Tudor Fieldhouse. All Master of Business Administration degree recipients are expected to attend, along with faculty members who have an appointment in the Jones School.

The Doctoral Convocation will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Stude Concert Hall in Alice Pratt Brown Hall. Ph.D. recipients are expected to attend, along with the faculty member they have selected to hood them, who is typically their thesis adviser.

Friday night light bites will be available to graduating seniors and their immediate family in their home residential colleges from 4:30 to 6.

The Undergraduate Convocation will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Academic Quad unless inclement weather makes it necessary to move the ceremony indoors at Tudor Fieldhouse. All recipients of bachelor’s degrees except for the Bachelor of Architecture degree are expected to attend. Each student gets to cross the stage, receive a tube for their diploma and be congratulated. Brief remarks will be presented by a student-selected member of the graduating class, by a college magister and by President David Leebron. The ceremony will conclude with a fireworks display.

Saturday’s plenary ceremony will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Academic Quad unless the weather warrants an indoor ceremony at Tudor Fieldhouse. All graduates and all faculty members are expected to attend. The ceremony will feature an academic procession and recession, conferral of degrees, presentation of several awards, brief remarks by Leebron and other officials, and the commencement address by Parker, the first Rice graduate elected mayor of Houston. Parker, who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, psychology and sociology, served as Houston’s 61st mayor from 2010 to 2016 after spending six years on City Council and six more as city controller.

After Saturday’s commencement, a reception for undergraduate degree recipients and their guests will be held in their residential colleges. A brunch for doctoral degree recipients and their guests will be served in Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

If outdoor ceremonies need to be moved indoors, a notice will be posted on rice.edu and an email will be sent to students, faculty and staff. To receive commencement updates by cellphone, text 2019RICEGRAD to 888777.

For details about other events during commencement week, visit commencement.rice.edu and click on the “Schedule of Events” tab.