By Joe Garvey

Old Dominion University's 137th Commencement Exercises will be held Saturday at Chartway Arena in the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

The University will recognize the culmination of nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students' academic journeys at two ceremonies:

9 a.m.: Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, Batten College of Engineering and Technology, College of Sciences and the School of Cybersecurity.

12:30 p.m.: College of Arts and Letters, Strome College of Business, College of Health Sciences and the Graduate School.

ESPN SportsCenter anchor and ODU alum Jay Harris will speak at both ceremonies. For more  information about Harris, go to this link.

Student information:

There is no rehearsal for the ceremony. Students will report to Webb University Center, North Mall (side closest to Stadium and Starbucks). Students in the 9 a.m. ceremony will park in the 43rd Street and Elkhorn Avenue and 43rd Street and Bluestone Avenue garages. Students in the 12:30 p.m. ceremony will park in the 49th Street Stadium Garage. Please note – both undergraduate and advanced degrees will be awarded in both ceremonies. There is no separate advanced degree ceremony in December.

Families and guests:

Guests should plan to arrive 30-60 minutes prior to the ceremony. Parking is available in the Constant Center 43rd and 45th Street garages. Guests must have a ticket to enter the Chartway Arena. Tickets are only distributed to qualified graduating students. All children over the age of 2 require a ticket. Children 2 and younger are not required to have a ticket if they can sit in the lap of a parent or guardian.

Auxiliary viewing is provided for guests without tickets. Auxiliary viewing is located in the Big Blue Room. If seats are available in the arena, guests will be escorted into the arena and seated 10-15 minutes before the start of the event.

More information about the ceremonies can be found at this link. For Chartway Arena policies, please go to this link.

Several events are scheduled this week leading up to commencement:

Thursday

  • Advanced Degree Luncheon, hosted by the Old Dominion University Alumni Association and the Graduate School, 11:30 a.m., Big Blue Room. For more details, go to this link.

Friday

  • AROTC Commissioning Ceremony, 9 a.m., multi-purpose room on the first floor of the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies.
  • Senior Brunch, hosted by the Alumni Association and the Office of Student Engagement and Traditions, 10:30 a.m., Big Blue Room. More info can be found here.
  • NROTC Commissioning Ceremony, 2 p.m., University Theatre.

Additionally, graduating students can participate in the Senior Class Challenge, a fundraising initiative designed to provide a scholarship to assist students who would not be able to complete their ODU degree due to financial constraints. The gifts will go directly to the ODU Student Concordia Award, an endowed scholarship created by University Advancement. You can find more information at this link.

A livestream of Saturday’s ceremonies can be viewed on the University’s main page.