Spring Convocation 2024

The Honors College Convocation recognizes the Spring 2024 Honors College Graduates. Each Honors College graduate will receive a gold Honors stole at the ceremony, as a visible symbol of accomplishment, which can be worn at all other college commencement ceremonies. Each graduate will also receive a certificate of Honors College membership. Students who will graduate in Spring 2024 are invited to participate in the Spring Convocation ceremony.

GRADUATION DECLARATIONS WERE DUE APRIL 1, 2024.  If you have not yet submitted your Honors College Graduation Declaration, please submit the form as soon as possible.  The Honors College requires that you submit the Graduation Declaration in order to receive your Honors Gold Stole.

If you have not yet registered to attend the Honors Convocation through Marching Order, please contact Associate Dean Stacie McCloud at smccloud@uic.edu.

Keynote Speaker

José Ochoa

President and CEO, National Museum of Mexican Art

José Ochoa, President and CEO of the National Museum of Mexican Art, is a nationally recognized not-for-profit leader with leadership roles in foundation, cultural, and education organizations and municipal government. He was the founding President of the ChiArts Foundation, established to support ChiArts® and other arts initiatives in Chicago. Ochoa founded ChiArts in 2009 as Illinois’ first public arts high school in partnership and collaboration with Chicago’s philanthropic and arts community.

Before moving to Chicago to establish ChiArts, José was the Superintendent of Cultural Arts for the Metro Parks and Recreation Department in Nashville, Tennessee — where he supervised the dance, music, theatre, and visual arts departments. During his tenure, he created new programs, including a Jam Band program, a youth theatre production company, theater-for-Seniors, Music City Ballroom Kids, and several community art galleries. José was instrumental in creating new programs and initiatives for a growing immigrant population in Nashville. He co-chaired the nationally recognized Celebration of Cultures, a multi-cultural festival celebrating cultural diversity. At the Parthenon, a full-sized replica museum of the monument in Greece, José led changes to policies and procedures to improve collection maintenance and initiated appraisal and conservation of a Pre-Cuatemoc Artifact Collection.

José has served on the board of trustees of notable institutions such as Arts Alliance Illinois, National Guild for Community Arts Education, Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and as an honorary trustee for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has also served on various boards, committees, and task forces that support community development, youth development, DEI, and trauma-informed community practices. Currently, José is a proud founding member of the clinical advisory council for the Boris L Henson Foundation, which award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson established to help eradicate the stigma of mental health in the Black community.

José Ochoa has been included in Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 list and is a past recipient of the Harvard Business Club of Chicago Roman Nomitch Fellowship.

Stacie McCloud

Honors College Class of 1992

Stacie McCloud is a 1992 Honors College graduate, having earned a B.A. in Elementary Education with Honors. She earned an Masters of Science in Teaching Mathematics in 1995.  She is currently the Associate Dean in the Honors College, and will retire in May 2024.

For the safety of all, the UIC Dorin Forum requires all guests to go through metal detector screening prior to entrance, and limits or prohibits certain items. Please view the policies here.

Parking will be free in lots 5C and 6.

Please see the Commencement website (https://commencement.uic.edu/commencement-day/directions-parking/) for parking maps, directions, and additional parking information.

Doors will open at 6:00 p.m.  All guests must have a ticket.  Guest seating is all general admission.  If your guest needs an accessibility accommodation, you may contact UIC Venues and Events directly at 312-413-5700.

Honors College Graduates will assemble in the UIC Dorin Forum at 6:00.   Please follow the directional signs to enter the Dorin Forum and to find the line-up location.

Please make sure you have your grad pass. Your grad pass can be obtained by logging into your Marching Order account and selecting Print Grad Pass.  Your grad pass will be scanned at check in and will also be used on stage to play your name recording.  If you are attending more than one ceremony, please make sure you have the grad pass specifically assigned to this ceremony.

Graduates will process into the venue in alphabetical order.  As we will be presenting your Honors College certificate during the ceremony, it is essential that you are in the correct position in line by no later than 6:45.

Please leave your personal belongings with a family member or friend.

The ceremony will require formal academic dress (cap and gown).  Tassle should be worn to the right.

Caps and gowns are for purchase from the UIC Bookstore, located on the first floor of Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted.

Bachelor of Science students will wear a gold tassel.

Bachelor of Arts students will wear a white tassel.

Tassels are included in the cap and gown price. Additional tassels are available in the campus bookstores.

Graduates attending the Honors College Convocation Ceremony will receive their gold stole at the ceremony.

Graduates unable to attend the Convocation may pick up their gold stole and certifications from the Honors College Reception desk during normal business hours, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on May 2 or May 3.

The Honors College gold stole may be worn with your academic attire at all other college commencement ceremonies.

Provisions will be made for graduates with hearing or physical disabilities, if needed. Please contact Stacie McCloud (smccloud@uic.edu) regarding any required accommodations. The ceremony will be projected on two screens and will include captioning for the benefit of students and guests who are hearing impaired. If you have additional questions or concerns, you may contact Stacie McCloud at smccloud@uic.edu or (312) 413-2260.

The Honors College virtual ceremony will feature the live webcasts of the ceremonies as well as the personalized graduate slides.  All virtual ceremony sites will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the in-person ceremony.

The link can be found on the commencement homepage:  www.commencement.uic.edu

The Capstone Completion Form must be submitted by Friday, April 26. You must complete your Capstone, including all paperwork, in order to participate in the Honors College Convocation, or to pick up your gold stole.

Latin Honors listed below will appear on UIC transcripts for undergraduate students who earned degrees Summer 2004 or thereafter.

Summa Cum Laude 3.90 and above GPA
Magna Cum Laude 3.75 to 3.89
Cum Laude 3.50 to 3.74

Summa Cum Laude (Gold) = Highest praise
Magna Cum Laude (Silver) = High praise
Cum Laude (Bronze) = Praise

Latin Honors cords may be picked up in Room 613 SCE, starting next week.   Hours for pick up are:

• Monday, April 29          9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Tuesday, April 30        9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Wednesday, May 1     9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cords will also be available on site at each of the ceremonies.

UIC will reserve the right to make permanent adjustments to the list of students receiving Latin Honors based on final semester grade point average.

For additional information, please contact the Office of Registrar.

A professional photographer will be taking photos during the ceremony, which will include an individual photo of each graduate as they receive their Honors College certificate.   These graduation photos will be available for ordering directly from Grad Images. Students will receive ordering information by mail within two weeks of the ceremony.

If you wish to pre-register your contact information for easy access to your pictures, click here to register with GradImages®!.

Honors College Fellows, Faculty and Friends are encouraged to attend the Honors College Convocation.

Faculty who order academic dress directly from the Honors College may pick up their robes at the UIC Dorin Forum immediately prior to the ceremony on May 1. You are welcome to keep the robes with you throughout the weekend and return them after the last ceremony.

Whether you have ordered robes or are bringing your own, you may begin robing in the staging area at the UIC Dorun Forum at 6:15. Please follow the directional signs to the staging area.

If you did not order robes, but still wish to attend the ceremony, please contact Stacie McCloud at smccloud@uic.edu.

Please check the UIC Commencement website for additional details related to the Spring 2024 UIC Commencement ceremonies: www.commencement.uic.edu

Please contact Associate Dean Stacie McCloud at smccloud@uic.edu or call the Honors College at (312) 413-2260.