Commencement Practice

All graduates of the college should plan to meet for final instruction for the commencement ceremony at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, May 6, in McClung Museum Auditorium..

You will receive important information regarding commencement registration, seating, photography, and other ceremony proceedings. Commencement practice will last approximately one hour.

Commencement Ceremony Information

Spring/Summer 2009 College Commencement Ceremony

8:30 a.m.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thompson Boling Assembly Center and Arena
1600 Phillip Fulmer Way
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996

Personal items and/or valuables should not be brought to or left unattended at the commencement ceremony. All cell phones must be turned off or set to silent mode as soon as you enter the seating area. Please refrain from cell phone use before and during the ceremony.

Arrival Time

Graduates must arrive at Thompson Boling Arena and be fully gowned by 7:45 a.m. The ceremony will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and will last approximately 60 minutes.

Location

Students will register and assemble in the Ray Mears Room which is located on the Arena floor level just behind the stage.  The closest Arena entrances to the Ray Mears Room are located under Pratt Pavilion.

Guest Seating

The facilities will open one hour before the ceremony begins. Guest seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language for hearing impaired guests will be available. General wheelchair-accessible seating will be available throughout the arena. Please note that neither the College nor the University supply wheelchairs to guests. No tickets are required for the ceremony and guests do not need to register.

Graduate Registration

All graduates must register at the table located inside the Ray Mears Room. You will receive an index card with your name. Do not lose this card. You must give the card to the designated reader who will announce your name as you cross the stage.

Graduate Processional

After registering and receiving your index card, you will be directed to assemble with your School for the processional. Once inside the Arena, ushers will prompt you when you should rise and move toward the stage.

Staging

Once on stage, hand your index card to the reader and proceed to accept congratulations from your department head and dean of the college.

Photography

As a courtesy to all in attendance, please have your guests refrain from advancing to the front of the stage to take photos as you are walking across. A professional photographer will be taking photos as you shake hands with the dean on stage. There will be another photographer as you leave the stage that will take your photograph alone. After the ceremony, the dean and department heads will be available in the stage area for additional graduate and guest photo opportunities.

Adjournment

After you have your photograph taken, return to your designated seating area and remain seated until the conclusion of the ceremony. Do not leave any personal items or valuables unattended at any time during the ceremony. Once the ceremony has been adjourned, you may meet your guests and make your way to the reception on the floor of the Arena.

Directions, Parking, and Shuttle Information

Directions

The Thompson Boling Arena is located on Phillip Fulmer Way on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Directions to the site are below.

NOTE: I-40 closure--At midnight on May 1, 2008, a short section of Interstate 40 between James White Parkway (Exit 388A) and Hall of Fame Drive (Exit 389) will be closed for approximately 14 months for reconstruction. Visit the Tennessee Department of Transportation for specific detour information for SmartFix40.

ALSO: avoid using on-line directions (mapquest/google maps/yahoo maps, etc.) as their services do not have the latest road closures (I-40 shutdown!), nor the I-40 exit for Hall of Fame Drive.

From the South (Chattanooga):

I-75 North to I-40 East I-40 East to exit #386B, Rt 129 / Alcoa Highway / Airport Once on Alcoa Highway, get into second from right lane (right lane exits to Kingston Pike) Take Neyland Drive Exit Turn Left onto Neyland Drive Stay on Neyland Drive for appx 1 1/2 miles Turn Left onto Lake Loudon Blvd at the Arena.

From the West (Nashville):

I-40 East (Knoxville) At mile marker 385 follow Downtown/Local sign (left two lanes) Take exit #386B, Rt 129 / Alcoa Highway / Airport Once on Alcoa Highway, get into second from right lane (right lane exits to Kingston Pike) Take Neyland Drive Exit Turn Left onto Neyland Drive Stay on Neyland Drive for appx 1 1/2 miles (third traffic light) Turn Left onto Lake Loudon Blvd at the Arena.

From the East (Asheville, NC):

I-40 West (Knoxville) At mile marker 393 follow Downtown/Local Traffic Only sign (left two lanes) Take Exit #389 Broadway & Hall of Fame Drive Go Left (South) onto Hall of Fame Drive At 7th traffic light, turn right NOTE: As you make the right turn, steer into the left lane! If you make sharp right and get into right lane, this goes back to I-40! Merge onto Neyland Drive. appx. 1/5 mile ahead on the right is Neyland Football Stadium and a large Parking Garage. Thompson-Boling Arena is just after the parking garage.

From the North (Lexington, KY):

I-75 South to I-275 South I-275 to I-40 West (towards Nashville) I-40 West to exit #386B, Rt 129 / Alcoa Highway / Airport Once on Alcoa Highway, get into second from right lane (right lane exits to Kingston Pike) Take Neyland Drive Exit Turn Left onto Neyland Drive Stay on Neyland Drive for appx 1 1/2 miles (third traffic light) Turn Left onto Lake Loudon Blvd at the Arena.

From Tyson McGhee Airport:

Take Route 129 North. Once on Alcoa Highway, get into second from right lane (right lane exits to Kingston Pike) Take Neyland Drive Exit Turn Left onto Neyland Drive Stay on Neyland Drive for appx 1 1/2 miles Turn Left onto Lake Loudon Blvd at the Arena.

Parking Information

Thompson Boling Arena Campus Map. Free parking for the College of Communication and Information's Commencement Ceremony is available in the student parking areas at UT. Please avoid parking in staff parking areas. Parking Services Map

Commencement Shuttles

More information to come. UTK Route Information

Spring/Summer 2009 Commencement Speaker

SAM VENABLE

Sam Venable is the speaker for the Spring/Summer 2009 College of Communication and Information Commencement Ceremony. Venable is a humor columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He assumed that position in 1985 after serving as the newspaper’s outdoors editor for 15 years.

Venable is a native of Knoxville. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in journalism and minor studies in forestry and wildlife management. Prior to joining the News Sentinel’s staff, he worked as a police reporter and feature writer for the Knoxville Journal and the Chattanooga News Free Press.

Winner of more than three dozen writing awards, Venable has also been widely published outside the newspaper field. He sold his first magazine article as a senior in college and since has compiled more than 150 periodical credits to his record.

He is the author of ten books:

• An Island Unto Itself: The Story of Little Pecan
• A Handful of Thumbs and Two Left Feet: Sam Venable’s Best Outdoor Stories
• Two or Three Degrees Off Plumb: Sam Venable’s Unique Look at Life
• One Size Fits All and Other Holiday Myths: A Walk Through the Four Seasons
• I’d Rather Be Ugly Than Stuppid…and Other Deep Thoughts
• From Ridgetops To Riverbottoms: A Celebration of the Outdoor Life in Tennessee
• Mountain Hands: A Portrait of Southern Appalachia
• Rock-Elephant: A Story of Friendship and Fishing
• You Gotta Laugh to Keep from Cryin’: A Baby Boomer Contemplates Life Beyond Fifty
• Someday I May Find Honest Work

Venable has also been a contributing author for two other books, 150 Southern Fishing Hotspots and Fireside Waterfowler and wrote the new introduction for Carson Brewer’s classic collection about the Great Smokies, A Wonderment of Mountains.

In recent years, Venable has become increasingly popular on the after-dinner speaking circuit. He delivers his bizarre look at life on a wide variety of topics—everything from how to speak “hillbillyese,” to the insanity of ever-present warning labels, as well as the perils of growing older.

In his spare time, Venable enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking and swimming. His wife, Mary Ann, is also a native Knoxvillian and a graduate of UT. She is a computer training specialist. They have two grown children, Clay and Megan, as well as a son-in-law, Tommy Smith, and daughter-in-law, Kim Venable—all of whom are UT graduates. Kim and Clay are parents to Sam's grandchildren, Max and Lucy.

Reception Information

A reception for graduating seniors and their guests will be held immediately following the commencement ceremony on the floor level of Thompson Boling Arena. Refreshments will be served.

Additional Information

For more information regarding graduation, commencement, and travel, visit the links below.

Office of the University Registrar - General information about graduation and commencement, including frequently asked questions.

UT Book and Supply Stores - Graduation supplies including caps and gowns.

Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corp. - Knoxville accomodations, restaurants, and events.

Back to CCI Commencement page.