More than 1,500 students at UALR have applied for spring commencement, which will be held Saturday, May 16, at the Jack Stephens Center.

With a record 750 graduation gowns already pre-ordered, the university expects a large commencement crowd.

Ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Both events will be available for viewing online via the ceremony live stream.

At the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:
College of Education and Health Professions
George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
Graduate School

For the 3 p.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:
College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences
College of Business
College of Social Sciences and Communication

The afternoon ceremony will feature Derek Fisher, head basketball coach of the New York Knicks, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Liberal Arts degree. Fisher was a distinguished Trojan basketball player named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in his senior year at UALR. He was instrumental in winning five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law ceremony will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright will deliver the keynote address for Bowen graduates, which will be carried by the C-SPAN network.

The Stephens Center will open for guests at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Early arrival is recommended. UALR reminds its guests that the campus is smoke free.