Spring 2019 Commencement

Congratulations, class of 2019!

Congratulations Graduates Your UST family is very proud of you.

Reaching this special moment took hard work, sacrifice, commitment and determination.

We look forward to recognizing this significant achievement in your life when we come together as one UST family at your commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18 at SMART Financial Centre in Sugar Land.

Celebrating this major milestone with you, your family and your friends is our great honor and privilege.

Registration Registration
Graduation Events Events
Commencement Commencement

Go forward with great confidence, knowing that the work you have done at the University of St. Thomas has prepared you to serve society with conviction.

Dr. Richard Ludwick President, University of St. Thomas

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location:
SMART Financial Centre
18111 Lexington Blvd.,
Sugar Land TX 77479

Arrival/Parking:
Arrival for graduates will begin at 11am.

Seating for families and guests general seating.

Due to security protocol at the venue, backpacks and large purses are not allowed into the building.

Parking: $15.00 per vehicle

Dress:

Full academic regalia should be worn (cap with tassel and gown that hangs well below the knees)
Please bring academic hood which will be worn in the procession
Academic honor cords, pins and medals may be worn
Please do not carry items with you across the stage

Ticketing/seats:

All guests over the age of 2 years old must have a ticket to enter the arena
Tickets will be scanned at the door

Keynote speaker: Gintaras Linas Grušas
Title: Archbishop of Vilnius, Lithuania
Workplace: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius

Gintaras Linas Grušas is the current Archbishop of Vilnius, Lithuania. He was appointed to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius by Pope Francis on 5 April 2013 and was installed on 23 April 2013. He succeeded Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis who retired, having reached the age limit.

His parents were separated by World War II and, after 16 years of being caught behind the Iron Curtain, his mother and 17-year-old sister were among just 200 families allowed to leave the Soviet Union to be reunited with family in the United States.

Grušas was born in Washington, D.C. After primary and secondary education he attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) where he earned a BS degree in Mathematics/Computer Science. He spent five years working as a technical consultant of marketing for IBM, which, he said, helped prepare him for the management and project-planning skills that are necessary as a pastor.

Grušas is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum in Rome where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1994 and was ordained a priest.

After his ordination he worked as secretary-general of the Lithuanian Episcopal Conference until 1997 and from 2001-2003 was rector of the seminary in Vilnius.

He earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1999 and a Doctorate of Canon Law in 2001 from Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum.

On 9 July 2010, he was appointed Military Ordinary by Pope Benedict XVI and was consecrated bishop on 4 September.

What's the difference between commencement and graduation?
Graduation refers to the awarding of your degree. All requirements have been completed and the degree will print on your transcript.

Commencement is a ceremony. You have to be an approved candidate for graduation (a degree-seeking student with all requirements for your degree in progress) to participate in commencement. Students are graduated at the end of the spring, summer II and fall semesters. Commencement occurs once per year in May.
Are tickets required to attend?
Yes, each guest 2 years of age and older must have a ticket to enter the arena. Guests who are younger than 2 years old may enter the arena but must be held in the lap of a ticket holder.
What do I wear?
All participants are required to wear academic regalia — gown, hood, cap and tassel. These items can be purchased during the Commencement online registration process.

You may also wear an official white "pay it forward" spirit cord which signifies your commitment to UST and its future students. A spirit cord can be purchased for $20.19 during GradFest.

Beneath the gown, “Sunday” dress is recommended, but there are no specific requirements.
How many guests may I bring?
Guest tickets are based upon the number of graduation candidates eligible to participate. This year, each graduate may request up to 6 tickets. Please do not request more tickets than you need. An announcement will be made via your UST email account if there are extra tickets available for distribution. The event will also be a live stream for your family and friends who are unable to join you.
When is rehearsal?
Rehearsal dates and times will be announced in March. At the ceremony, there will be volunteers who will direct you; please follow their instructions.
When should we plan on arriving?
Traffic can become congested in the area, so please plan to arrive between 10 a.m. and Noon. Graduates will be given specific arrival times.
If my family cannot attend, how can they see me graduate?
There will be a live stream of the event on this page. At some point thereafter, it will also be available on demand in the same page location.
How long is the ceremony?
The length of the ceremony depends on several factors including the number of graduates, length of the speaker’s comments, audience reaction to students crossing the stage, etc. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the specific length. We suggest you plan for a minimum of 2 hours for the ceremony.
Do I get to keep my cap and gown?
Yes.
May I participate in commencement other than in the semester when I'm graduating?
You are only eligible to participate in the commencement during the academic year for which you applied. For example, only fall 2018 and spring/summer 2019 graduation candidates are eligible to participate in the 2019 commencement.

Begins on March 8 and closes on April 12.

You did it! You’re about to become a UST alumnus. We want to make sure the experience is memorable and joyful. That’s why we’ve tried to make the registration process as easy as possible.

During this process, graduates will confirm their participation in Spring Commencement, reserve their guest tickets, and order regalia through the UST Bookstore.

Check your @stthom email for a formal announcement of Registration Dates.

There’s just a few things to know:

All payments (cap and gown, diploma, etc.) are due at time of order
You may reserve up to 6 guest tickets when you register
If extra tickets remain after registration closes, the site will reopen after April 12.
The last day to register is April 12.

MORE Details to Come!

For questions, please contact USTEvents@stthom.edu

Spring 2019 Commencement

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