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Commencement

Congratulations to the class of 2019!

Commencement is not only a celebration of our graduating students’ accomplishments at the University of Maryland, but also an occasion to acknowledge our joint enthusiasm for your future endeavors in journalism and beyond.

The university recognizes that commencement is a milestone in our graduates’ lives and, as such, we strive to ensure that everyone enjoys their experience.

Winter 2019 Ceremony

The winter 2019 ceremony was held Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Povich Center director George Solomon and broadcast journalism major Thomas Mason were the speakers.

Spring 2019 Ceremony

The spring 2019 ceremony was held Thursday, May 23 at 10 a.m. in Ritchie Coliseum. Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes and multi-platform journalism major Daniel Oyefusi were the speakers.

Winter 2018 Ceremony

Merrill College’s commencement was Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Kay Theatre. Capital News Service broadcast director Sue Kopen Katcef and multiplatform journalism major Jonathan Orbach were the speakers.

Spring 2018 Ceremony

Merrill College’s commencement was held Monday, May 21 at 10 a.m. in Ritchie Coliseum. ESPN journalist Jemele Hill was the guest speaker and broadcast journalism major Alexander Flum was the student speaker.

Winter 2017 Ceremony

Merrill College’s commencement was held Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Kay Theater.

Graduating students received a decorative print specially designed by the university for the academic year at the commencement ceremony.

The Student Services Office clears undergraduate candidates for graduation once all semester grades have been filed, at which point the Diploma Office will mail out diplomas. Graduate students are cleared by the Graduate School, and diplomas are mailed in a similar fashion.

Diplomas are mailed to the address students have provided on their diploma applications. If this information has recently changed for you, make sure the Diploma Office in the Mitchell Building is notified. Students are advised to keep their address updated on Testudo.

Need more information? Contact: Serap Rada.

GradImages® is the official commencement photographer for the University of Maryland and Merrill College. Your photos are available to view and order by visiting their website at www.gradimages.com. Enter Last Name, School Name and select Event Year from the dropdown menu.

For additional help, call their Customer Service Department at 800-261-2576 or email giservice@gradimages.net.

Journalism Commencement Speakers

12/19 George Solomon, Director of The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism
5/19 Chelsea Janes, The Washington Post
12/18 Sue Kopen Katcef, Capital News Service broadcast director
5/18 Jemele Hill, ESPN
12/17 Carl Sessions Stepp, Merrill College professor
5/17 Washington Post investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Fahrenthold
12/16 Visiting Professor Constance Mitchell Ford
05/16 Scott Van Pelt, ESPN
12/15 Tom Bettag, Eleanor Merrill Distinguished Visiting Fellow & former ABC/CBS/CNN/NBC producer
5/15 Myriam Marquez, executive editor of El Nuevo Herald (Miami Herald)
12/14 James (Jamie) McIntyre, correspondent for Al Jazeera America
5/14 Andrea McCarren, multimedia journalist, WUSA-TV
12/13 No keynote speaker
5/13 Pierre Thomas, senior justice correspondent for ABC News
12/12 Philip Merrill College of Journalism Dean Lucy Dalglish
5/12 Robert Siegel, host of NPR’s All Things Considered
12/11 No keynote speaker
5/11 First Knight Chair Hodding Carter
12/10 No keynote speaker
5/10 David Lightman, national political correspondent and congressional reporter for McClatchy Newspapers
12/09 No keynote speaker
5/09 Ray Suarez, senior correspondent, PBS – The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
12/08 Rem Rieder, editor and senior vice president, American Journalism Review
5/08 Jim Vance, WRC-TV News Anchor
12/07 No keynote speaker
5/07 Gene Weingarten, humor columnist, The Washington Post
12/06 No keynote speaker
5/06 Ken Paulson, editor, USA Today
12/05 No keynote speaker
5/05 Knight Kiplinger, Kiplinger Washington Editors
12/04 No keynote speaker
5/04 Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
12/03 No keynote speaker
5/03 Colbert King, deputy editorial page editor, The Washington Post
12/02 No keynote speaker
5/02 Tim Brant ’73, morning radio host (WMAL) and ABC-TV sports broadcaster
12/01 Gwen Ifill, Washington Week moderator and managing editor
5/01 Maureen Bunyan, news anchor, WJLA-TV, Channel 7, Washington, D.C.
12/00 Jay Kernis ’74, producer, CBS 60 Minutes
5/00 Hodding Carter III, president and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Miami (First Knight Chair)
12/99 Michael Waller, publisher and CEO, The Baltimore Sun
5/99 Tom Phillips, chairman, Phillips Publishing International, Potomac, Md.
12/98 Will Sutton, Jr., deputy managing editor, Raleigh News & Observer
5/98 Robert D. Novak, syndicated columnist
12/97 Edward Fouhy, exec. dir., Pew Center for Civic Journalism
5/97 David Broder, Washington Post political columnist
12/96 Dorothy Gilliam, Washington Post Columnist
5/96 Robert W. Greene, Newsday, IRE
12/95 Harland W. (Hal) Warner, Capitoline/Manning Selvage & Lee
5/95 Rem Rieder, editor, American Journalism Review
12/94 William R. Harvey, Hampton University President
5/94 Eugene L. Roberts, Jr., Professor, Managing Editor, The New York Times
12/93 Reginald Stuart, News Editor, Knight Ridder, Washington Bureau, National President-Elect, SPJ
5/93 Earle Palmer Brown, EPB and Regent
12/92 John S. Carroll, Editor and Senior VP, Baltimore Sun
5/92 DeWayne Wickham, columnist, USA Today, 1974 College Alum
12/91 William E. Kirwan, University of Maryland President (daughter’s graduation)
5/91 Peter S. Prichard, Editor, USA Today
12/90 Reg Murphy, Chairman of the Board, Baltimore Sun
5/90 John S. Prescott, former President of the Washington Post
12/89 Barbara Cohen (Cochran), Washington Bureau Chief, CBS News
5/89 Bill Monroe, editor, Washington Journalism Review
12/88 Jane Healy, Associate Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 1971 Alum
5/88 Harold Burson, Chairman, Burson-Marsteller
12/87 Joe Adams, Founder, Adams Group, Inc., 1961 alum
5/87 Jon Franklin, Assoc. Professor, 1970 alum
12/86 Mary Kay Quinlan, President, National Press Club, 1973 alum
5/86 Lynne Cheney, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
5/85 Hal Donofrio, President, Richardson, Myers, & Donofrio, Baltimore

Spring 2017

Merrill College’s Commencement was held Saturday, May 20 at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel.

The student speaker, as chosen by our graduating seniors, was Cam Rogers.

Main Commencement – was on May 21 at 1 p.m. in the Xfinity Center. It was streamed live and broadcast on UMTV. Film producer and former MLB player Mark Ciardi was the commencement speaker.

Spring 2016

Main Commencement Archived Webcast
Merrill College Archived Webcast
Spring Commencement Program 2016 (PDF)
See the photos on Flickr

Journalism Commencement:
Thursday, May 19, 2016, Ritchie Coliseum.

Speakers

The Merrill College welcomed ESPN host and 110% Terp Scott Van Pelt as our commencement speaker. He was the top choice of Merrill seniors as determined by a poll conducted by seniors Sam Stern and Michelle Leibowitz. Jessie Karangu was chosen by Merrill seniors to be the student speaker. Van Pelt even brought his wife, Stephanie and new son Sam to be part of the event.

Listen to their speeches, along with Dean Dalglish introducing graduates during main commencement, on our Podcast page.

Dec. 20, 2015

The University of Maryland’s winter commencement exercise was held on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2015 in the Xfinity Center. The Main Commencement speaker was retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent “Flo” Groberg.

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism commencement exercise was held Sunday, Dec. 21 at the Stamp Student Union’s Colony Ballroom. This event was streamed live by UMTV. Eleanor Merrill Distinguished Visiting Fellow Tom Bettag was the guest speaker.

Commencement Book
See the photos on Flickr

May 22, 2015

The University of Maryland’s spring commencement exercise was held on Thursday, May 21, 2015 in the Xfinity Center. The Main Commencement speaker was former NFL football player and Terp Domonique Foxworth.

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism commencement ceremony was held Friday, May 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Dekelboum Concert Hall, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. This event was broadcast live and streamed by UMTV. Merrill alumna and Executive Editor at El Nuevo Herald, Myriam Marquez ’83, was the guest speaker.

May 2015

December 2014

May 2014

For More Information

Portrait of Serap Rada

Serap Rada

Assistant Director, Graduate Studies
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