The Division of Student Affairs salutes the 2023 University of Houston graduates!
DSA News
May 11, 2023
Cheers to the 2023 University of Houston (UH) graduates for your hard work and commitment to your education. We applaud your success in making your education a priority and wish each of you the best in your future endeavors. There was a total of over 6,500 graduates that include students pursuing their Bachelor's, Master’s, Doctoral, and professional degrees.
The University of Houston’s annual commencement tradition displays pomp, pageantry, and a spectacular celebration for the graduates' families, friends, and faculty. This tradition is a precedent that each generation of graduates looks forward to every year. These ceremonies are formal celebrations at which degrees are conferred upon graduating students. The commencement tradition allows for each graduate to be called on by name and gives them the opportunity to proudly walk across the stage while being cheered on by their fellow graduates. At the University of Houston, each college hosts its respective graduation ceremony so that every graduate is recognized during the commencement program.
The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) also offers additional graduation programs in recognition of students' perseverance and accomplishments while completing their degrees. Two notable examples are the Lavender Graduation Ceremony and the Veteran and Dependents Cord and Stall Ceremony.
During the Lavender Graduation Ceremony, we honor our LGBTQ+ graduates with special designations by offering lavender or rainbow cords and other goodies. The Lavender graduation ceremony for Spring 2023 had 125 attendees and 32 graduates which is an increase of 13.7% from Spring 2022 and a 14.7 increase in our graduation rate. Kevin Nguyen, director of the LGBTQ Resource Center said, “There are approximately 285 Lavender Graduations throughout the U.S. but only 10 of those are in Texas. The LGBTQ Resource Center sponsors programs like the Lavender Graduation to provide support, resources, and a caring community for LGBTQ students of diverse backgrounds and abilities to be celebrated as authentic individuals in their personal and academic Cougar experience.”
The DSA is proud to acknowledge our military and veteran graduates at our special Cording Ceremony. Each of these illustrious graduates will receive a patriot cord that they can wear during the campus-wide ceremony.
On Tuesday, May 2, Veteran Services (VS) held the 18th biannual ceremony to honor its graduating veterans, active-duty personnel, reservists, and commissioning students from the Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC. This semester was the second time VS also honored military-affiliated dependents. The graduates, their friends, and family gathered in the Student Center South Houston Room to show support for these brave men and women who served, or continue to serve our country, and for their individual academic achievements. David K. Campbell, a student-veteran employee stated, “The graduation is an important ceremony because it not only highlights the work and effort that veterans make during their time in service, but also the continued effort they displayed during their academic journey.”
From a graduation list of 367 military-affiliated students, 28 dependents attended, receiving a patriot cord and specially designed challenge coin. The other 47 graduates who attended the ceremony received a stole and a unique challenge coin. There were about 215 people in attendance. Hollis Bouldin, a Marine Corps veteran who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering said,
“The ceremony was important to him because he wanted to be able to wear his stole at the commencement ceremony. In so doing, it provides a distinction between veterans and the large body of graduates who will be there.”
We are committed to continuing our support for our UH graduates through Alumni Career Services. We provide our recent graduates and new alumni with resources that help with professional development that is designed to help lead them to successful outcomes.
Our alumni counselors are ready to assist all alumni regardless of when they graduated with individualized Career Coaching and other resources. For more details on the services, we offer to check out our webpage.
The UH general Spring 2023 commencement will be held from Wednesday, May 10th, through Saturday, May 13th. Please review the commencement schedule for locations and additional information.
Again, the Division of Student Affairs congratulates all the 2023 graduates on their success.