The Department of Communication Spring Commencement

COMM Graduating Senior Information:

COMM majors who graduated in Fall 2018 or are graduating in May 2019 or August 2019 are invited to participate in the department graduation ceremony. COMM majors who applied to graduate in May 2019 DO NOT need to complete the below Google Form.

COMM majors applying to graduate in AUGUST 2019 and plan to participate in the departmental graduation ceremony, please complete this Google form by WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17. You will need to provide your full name (first, middle, last), PID, email address, and permanent mailing address. Graduation applications for August 2019 opened March 18, 2019.

If COMM Majors applying to graduate in August 2019 DO NOT COMPLETE THE FORM BY APRIL 17, THEIR NAME WILL NOT APPEAR IN THE COMM GRADUATION PROGRAM.

Any questions regarding graduation, please contact Samantha Fowler by phone, 919-962-2311 or email, fowler08@email.unc.edu. More announcements and details to come in the upcoming weeks. Check out the weekly COMM Undergraduate Newsletter, Facebook page, and Twitter!

Department of Communication Commencement Speaker:

The Department of Communication is excited to announce Katie R. Loovis, Vice President for External Affairs, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, as the 2019 commencement speaker!

Katie’s career in public service includes key roles in government (The White House), business (GSK), and the nonprofit sector (Achieving the Dream) as well as with the national and a local Chamber of Commerce. She is a strategic communications and government affairs executive with 20 years of experience developing meaningful, multi-sector partnerships that transform lives and improve communities.

Globally, Katie is on the Board of Directors for 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance and the Advisory Board for Corporate Citizenship at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and she is a member of the National Press Club. In May 2012, Katie participated as a delegate for the U.S. Department of State-sponsored program to Israel and the West Bank coordinated by the American Council of Young Political Leaders. In 1995, she captained the USA Under-19 Women’s Lacrosse Team to a silver medal in the World Cup.

Locally, Katie is on the Board of Directors for Durham Tech Foundation and the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, and is an appointee to the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Leadership Council and the Orange County Local Reentry Council. She volunteers with the NC Study Center, and is a member of the local chapters of the Junior League and the American Association of University Women. She is a former Rotarian and graduate of Leadership Chapel Hill-Carrboro (2017), Leadership North Carolina (2018), and the Town of Chapel Hill’s Inaugural Peoples Academy (2018).

Katie earned an MPA and BA in Communication Studies with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she co-captained the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Team. There is an endowed scholarship in her name. Currently, Katie is earning her doctorate (Ed.D.) from NC State University with a focus on Community College Leadership. She is delighted to live in “Blue Heaven” and cultivate four beautiful acres of native fruit and nut-bearing trees.

Graduation FAQs: 

Is there parking? Yes. Skipper Bowles and Williamson Lots.

How early should I arrive? Plan to arrive around 7:30pm

Are there tickets? No. You may bring as many guests as you like.

Is there assigned seating? No. Sit wherever you like.

If I graduate in the summer or fall, may I attend? Yes. You may attend the spring commencement before or after your official graduation.

Will my name be in the program? Undergraduates that applied for spring graduation with advising will be supplied to us by the registrar’s office and included in the program.

Those who graduated Fall 2017 will also be included as well as any Summer 2018 graduates who responded to our call & let us know they would be graduating.

Will they call my name? Yes. You will fill out a card and the announcer will use this to call your name as you walk across the stage.

Will I get my diploma? Sort of. You will be handed a mock one on stage and your real one will be mailed to you, months later.

Do I have to wear a cap/gown? No, but most people do. You may wear whatever you like.

Is there a photographer? Yes. GradImages will capture a photo of as you walk across and exit the stage. Those photos will be sent to you based on the contact information you provide on the name card. Also, feel free to bring your own camera as well.

Will there be a reception? No.

How long is it? Generally 1.5 hours, no more than 2.