UA Little Rock to Celebrate 2024 Spring Commencement May 11
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate its 2024 spring graduates with ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the Jack Stephens Center.
More than 1,265 UA Little Rock students are eligible to graduate and are invited to participate in the commencement ceremonies with their loved ones. More information is available by visiting ualr.edu/commencement.
The 9:30 a.m. ceremony will honor undergraduate students from the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics as well as undergraduate students from the College of Business, Health, and Human Services. The Jack Stephens Center will open for guests at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony, and graduating students should arrive by 8:30 a.m.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will honor undergraduate students from the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education as well as all graduate students. The Jack Stephens Center will open for guests at 12:30 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony, and graduating students should arrive by 1 p.m.
Leron McAdoo, who is also known as Ron Mc The HipHoptimist, will serve as the guest speaker for both commencement ceremonies. McAdoo is a distinguished educator, artist, musician, author, first Poet Laureate of Little Rock, youth advocate, co-founder of Backyard Enterprises, and visionary behind The Mctivated Motivational Brand. As a teacher since 1994, he has been recognized by the Arkansas Declaration of Learning, NAACP, City of Little Rock, Little Rock School District, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and others. McAdoo has empowered educators and students, delivered multiple TEDtalks, spoken internationally, and been an Arkansas bestselling author.
UA Little Rock will award an honorary degree to Randy Rainwater, a Little Rock Baseball student-athlete who attended the university from 1970-1974 and is a member of the Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Rainwater went on to be the play-by-play man for the basketball Trojans before he started his #1 sports talk radio show, “Drive Time Sports.”
Additionally, UA Little Rock will provide a posthumous degree to the family of Karen Stanley, an alumna who sadly passed away in March, less than two months before completing her second bachelor’s degree in accounting. Stanley’s parents, Jim and Betty Stanley, will join the ceremony to accept her degree.
After graduating from Little Rock Central High School, Stanley received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UA Little Rock. After working for various auto companies in a variety of roles, she ended up with the McLarty Auto Group, where she earned an Employee of the Year Award.
The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law will hold a commencement ceremony for its graduates at 7 p.m. May 11 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
The UA Little Rock commencement ceremony will be live-streamed on the commencement website and the UA Little Rock YouTube Channel.
