UCSB’s annual commencement exercises will feature eight ceremonies over the course of a week, beginning June 5 and concluding June 12. (George Foulsham / The UCSB Current photo)

By the close of the 2015-16 academic year, UC Santa Barbara will have awarded a combined 5,745 undergraduate and graduate degrees.

That accomplishment will be celebrated in eight official commencement ceremonies, to be held on campus over eight days, starting June 5 and concluding June 12.






The ceremonies are organized by college, level of degree and field of study. Chancellor Henry T. Yang will shake the hand of every student graduating from the College of Creative Studies, the College of Engineering, the College of Letters and Science, the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the Graduate Division.

The College of Creative Studies will lead off with its ceremony Sunday, June 5, at 11 a.m. in Campbell Hall. The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management will conduct its ceremony Friday, June 10, at 10 a.m. in the Bren Hall Courtyard.

On the weekend of Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, six ceremonies — three each day — will be held on the Faculty Club Green fronting the UCSB Lagoon.

All eight ceremonies will be webcast live. Over June 11-12, web coverage will be continuous, beginning at 8:30 a.m., running through and between the 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. events.

A link to the webcasts will be available via the UCSB home page.

A listing of ceremonies and guest speakers follows. Complete biographical information on all speakers is available on the UCSB commencement website.  

Sunday, June 5, Campbell Hall

» 11 a.m. – College of Creative Studies: Guest Speaker – Carol Greider ’83, Daniel Nathans Professor and Director of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University, 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine; Student Speakers – Carolyn Kirwan, biology; Joseph Mann, chemistry and biochemistry; Alyssa Rogers, art

Friday, June 10, Bren Hall Courtyard

» 10 a.m. – Bren School of Environmental Science & Management: Guest Speaker – Tom Steyer, founder and president, NextGen Climate

Saturday, June 11, Faculty Club Green

» 9 a.m. – Sciences: Guest Speaker – Gus Gurley, co-founder, Digital Instruments; Student Speaker – Gold Okafor, biopsychology

» 1 p.m. – Engineering and Sciences: Guest Speaker – Pamela Lopker, chairman of the board and president, QAD; Student Speakers – Andrea Renteria, psychology; Oluwagbogo Adebayo-Ige, chemical engineering

» 4 p.m. – Social Sciences I: Guest Speaker – Jeff Henley ’66, vice chairman, Oracle Corporation; Student Speaker – Reina Sultan, political science

Sunday, June 12, Faculty Club Green

» 9 a.m. – Social Sciences II: Guest Speaker – Blair Hull ’65, founder and chairman, Hull Investments; Student Speaker – Efthimia Sklavenitis, global studies

» 1 p.m. – Humanities and Arts: Guest Speaker – Kenneth S. Kosik, UCSB Harriman Professor of Neuroscience Research; co-director, Neuroscience Research Institute; Student Speaker – Emile Nelson, English

» 4 p.m. – Graduate Division: Guest Speaker – Duncan Mellichamp, founding member, UCSB Chemical Engineering Department faculty; Student Speaker – Jonathan D. Gomez, sociology, Black Studies emphasis (Ph.D.)

— Shelly Leachman writes for the UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications.