Nearly 1,500 students to graduate during commencements of three Catholic colleges in central and southern Indiana in May

Criterion staff report

Students, families, friends and educators will join in the celebration as the three Catholic colleges in the archdiocese hold their graduation ceremonies in May.

Here is a glimpse of each ceremony for the 1,480 graduates.

MARIAN UNIVERSITY

Marian University in Indianapolis will award degrees in three commencement ceremonies on the weekend of May 6-8.

During the commencement weekend, 77 students will earn associate degrees, 696 will receive bachelor’s degrees, 159 will earn master’s degrees, 34 students will earn doctoral degrees as nurse practitioners, and 160 future doctors will graduate from the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Students will receive their associate degrees during a 5 p.m. ceremony on May 6 at the Marian University Ancilla College campus in Plymouth, Ind. The commencement address will be shared by Gary Neidig, president and chief executive officer of Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies.

Undergraduates will receive their bachelor’s degrees during a 2:30 p.m. commencement ceremony on May 7 in the arena/convocation center of Marian’s Indianapolis campus. The commencement address will be delivered by Rebecca Espinoza Kubacki, a member of the university’s board of trustees who was the first Latina Republican elected to the Indiana General Assembly.

This commencement will be livestreamed and can be viewed online at marian.edu/livestream. So will the Baccalaureate Mass on May 7 at 10 a.m. in the arena/convocation center of Marian’s Indianapolis campus.

Graduate students and medical students will receive their degrees on May 8 during a 10 a.m. ceremony in the arena/convocation center of Marian’s Indianapolis campus. The commencement speaker at this ceremony will be Dr. Ramarao Yeleti, Community Health Network’s chief physician executive.

This commencement will also be livestreamed and can be viewed online at marian.edu/livestream.

SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS COLLEGE

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will celebrate its commencement on May 7 when 305 graduates earn their degrees.

There will be two commencement ceremonies—one for on-campus students receiving their bachelor’s degrees, while the other will be for graduates of Woods Online and master’s degree programs.

Both ceremonies will be in the Hamilton Arena of the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center. The commencement speakers for both ceremonies are students who were selected by a committee of faculty and staff from submitted speeches.

The commencement ceremony for on-campus students who are graduating will be at 10:00 a.m. The commencement speaker will be Mikayla Hudgens, who is graduating with a bachelor of science degree.

The commencement ceremony for graduates of Woods Online and master’s degree programs will be at 3:15 pm. The commencement speaker will be Jessica Boland, who is graduating with a master’s degree in nursing.

As part of the commencement day, the college will also have a Baccalaureate Mass at 1 p.m. in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Each ceremony will be livestreamed on smwc.edu and also on the college’s Facebook page @smwcollege.

SAINT MEINRAD SEMINARY AND SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

Forty-nine students will earn master’s degrees when Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad will hold its graduation ceremony on May 14.

The ceremony will be at 11:15 a.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus.

The commencement address will be delivered by Dr. Robert Alvis, academic dean at Saint Meinrad and professor of Church history.

Mass for the graduates and their guests will be at 9 a.m. Central Time on May 14 in the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. †