IU East graduates celebrate during the 2014 Commencement Ceremony, held at the Richmond High School Tiernan Center.

Indiana University East will host its 44th Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 15, at the Richmond High School Tiernan Center.

This year, the university will confer 715 baccalaureate degrees and 34 master’s degrees. The number of degrees is a significant increase for IU East and marks the university’s highest number of graduates in a given year.

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie and IU East Chancellor Kathryn Cruz-Uribe will preside and address the 749 graduates eligible to receive IU degrees during the ceremony. The figures include degree recipients from December 2014 and candidates for May, June and August 2015.

The ceremony will be broadcast via live stream video at iue.edu/live. The website also includes live commencement updates and commentary via Facebook and Twitter, with the hashtags #iueast and #iue2015. Richmond residents can also watch the ceremony live on WCTV Channel 20.

As part of the ceremony, Indiana University East will award an Indiana University Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Jim Steck, chancellor emeritus of Ivy Tech Community College Richmond, and member of the IU East Board of Advisors. The honorary degree, the highest academic recognition Indiana University can bestow, is awarded to individuals who demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity and sincere concern for the public good.

Kathryn Elisabeth Marr, Nashville, Tenn., will address fellow classmates during the ceremony as the student speaker. Marr, who will receive a Bachelor of Science in Communications Studies, was selected to address the 2015 class after auditioning for the honor.

Lori Ann Stephens of Carthage, Ind., is the recipient of the Naomi Osborne Award, an honor given to the graduate with the highest grade point average, and will lead the graduating class during the alumni induction ceremony. Stephens will receive her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

For more information, visit iue.edu/commencement.