Indiana University East will host its 51st Commencement Ceremony is at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 13, at the Richmond High School Tiernan Center.

This year, the university will confer 758 baccalaureate degrees and 44 master’s degrees.

Indiana University President Pamela Whitten and IU East Chancellor Kathryn Girten will preside and address the 802 graduates eligible to receive IU degrees during the ceremony. The figures include degree recipients from December 2021 and candidates for May, June and August 2022.

IU East will celebrate the Class of 2022 on Friday, May 13, at the Richmond High School Tiernan Center.

This will be the first commencement President Whitten is attending for IU Bloomington and IU’s regional campuses.

This year will be Chancellor Girten’s last Commencement Ceremony. Girten recently announced her plans to retire June 30 after serving as chancellor for nine years.

The Commencement Ceremony will be broadcast via live stream video at iue.edu/live (note: this website may not be live until the day of the ceremony). Live commencement updates and commentary will be available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow or post using the hashtags #iueast and #iueastgrad2022. Richmond residents can also watch the ceremony live on WCTV Channel 20.

Cici Bellis, Orlando, Florida, will address fellow classmates during the ceremony as the student speaker. Bellis, who will receive a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in finance, was selected to address the 2022 class after an application process. Bellis is a retired professional tennis player from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Matthew Paterson, Richmond, Indiana, 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. He is originally from Rothwell, England, and a member of the men’s track and field team at IU East. Paterson will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.

IU East will host events and ceremonies leading up to the 51st Commencement Ceremony.

IU East’s Hooding Ceremony for master’s degree candidates will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 13, in Vivian Auditorium, located in Whitewater Hall. The hooding ceremony signifies a scholarly and personal achievement. This ceremony is by invitation.

Also the day of commencement, the IU East School of Nursing and Health Sciences will host its pinning ceremony for nursing graduates at 2 p.m. in Vivian Auditorium with a slide show followed by the ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Graduates will receive their pin to wear for the Commencement Ceremony and nursing awards will be given to students.

For more information, visit iue.edu/commencement.