Old Dominion University's 135th Commencement Exercises will be held Dec. 18 at Chartway Arena in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Nearly 2,000 students will receive degrees in two ceremonies.

The schedule and speakers for the ceremonies:

9 a.m. - Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin '88, the 67th Inspector General of the U.S. Army, will speak at the ceremony for the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, Batten College of Engineering and Technology, College of Sciences and School of Cybersecurity.

2 p.m. - Scott Cooke '93, '96, group vice president and chief financial officer for Toyota Financial Services, will speak at the ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters, Strome College of Business and College of Health Sciences.

For more information about the speakers, go to this link.

Student information:

There is no rehearsal for the ceremony and students will be advised on arrival location and times. Prior to arrival, students are asked to review the Student Information and Instructions that you should receive via email. This document will tell you exactly what will happen during the ceremony.

Families and guests:

Guests should plan to arrive 30-60 minutes before the ceremony. Parking is available in the 43rd Street and 45th Street garages. Guests must have a ticket to enter the Chartway Arena. Tickets are only distributed to qualified graduating students. 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 a parent's lap.

Students and guests will be required to wear face coverings in all indoor locations on campus and inside Chartway Arena. More information about the ceremonies can be found at this link.

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 at this link.


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