By DONETTA ALLE
The 121st annual summer graduation ceremonies will begin Thursday with graduating BYU students participating in the commencement exercises in the Marriott Center at 4 p.m.
The university reports that 2,566 degrees will be handed out during this week’s graduation ceremonies. Bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to 2,179 students, 34 will receive doctorates, 350 will receive masters’ and three will receive associate degrees. Of the graduates, 1,347 are men and 1,219 are women.
Alvin Plantinga, a leading religious philosopher and professor at Notre Dame University, will offer the commencement address. In addition, Plantinga and Leslie Norris, BYU’s poet-in-residence, will receive Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees.
In addition to the honorary doctorates, the university will present a presidential citation and medal to the Edwin S. Hinckley family, a beloved BYU teacher and administrator from the first part of the century. Rachel E. Crook from Great Halls, Va., a psychology major from the honors program, will represent the students by speaking at commencement.
Commencement activities begin with the march shortly after 3 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building.
President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will preside, and Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve will conduct.
Following commencement exercises, graduates, families and others can attend a graduation buffet in the ELWC Ballroom from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m.
In addition to the commencement exercises, convocations will be held on campus and at the Provo Tabernacle Friday.
Convocations beginning at 8 a.m. include the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, SFH; Fine Arts and Communications, de Jong Concert Hall; and the Marriott School of Management in the Marriott Center.
At 10:30 a.m., convocations for the College of Engineering and Technology, SFH; Humanities, Marriott Center; Nursing, JSB Auditorium; and Physical Education, Provo Tabernacle.
Convocations at 1 p.m. are College of Biology and Agriculture, SFH; College of Education, de Jong Concert Hall; and Family, Home and Social Sciences, Marriott Center.
Army ROTC officers will be commissioned at 2:30 p.m., and Air Force at 4 p.m. in the Wells ROTC Building.
