umcommencement.JPG

The University of Michigan will not have a spring commencement speaker, just one way it plans to break from the traditional ceremony mold to commemorate 200 years as a university. The ceremony, which takes place on Saturday, April 29, at Michigan Stadium, includes a number of special presentations from university leaders, faculty members and graduating students, as well as a presentation directed toward future classes of UM graduates.

(Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)

ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan will not have a spring commencement speaker, which is just one way it plans to break from the traditional ceremony mold to commemorate 200 years as a university.

Instead of the focus being put on a single speaker, the ceremony will pay tribute to the university's past while honoring its latest class of graduates with a number of voices, UM Spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen said.

"The special commencement ceremony will include numerous speakers and presentations rather than one, because a single voice is not enough to fully celebrate 200 years of accomplishments," Broekhuizen said.

The ceremony, which takes place on Saturday, April 29, at Michigan Stadium, includes a number of special presentations from university leaders, faculty members and graduating students, as well as a presentation directed toward future classes of UM graduates shared by current UM students, the university announced Monday, March 27.

The ceremony also includes a multimedia performance that features portions of historic commencement addresses delivered live by current university dignitaries. The video presentation is being produced by Malcolm Tulip, assistant professor of theatre and drama in UM School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

"Our bicentennial commencement gives our community the opportunity to honor the graduates of the Class of 2017, along with the amazing 200-year-old legacy of excellence and impact that they are joining," UM President Mark Schlissel said in the University Record.

Commencement speakers in recent years have included former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who provided last spring's address, as well as former United States Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and current Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

This spring's commencement also breaks from the tradition of providing honorary degrees, instead opting to provide 10 special Bicentennial Alumni Awards, given to recent graduates who were chosen by a campus committee based on nominations from the community. UM will honor another 10 alumni during its winter commencement.

Two of those Bicentennial Alumni Award winners include Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who will provide a special musical performance during the ceremony along with students from the UM School of Music Theater & Dance. The songwriters won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "City of Stars" from the movie "La La Land." The duo also earned a Tony Award nomination in 2013 for creating the original score for the stage musical adaptation of "A Christmas Story."

Other Bicentennial Alumni Award recipients for the spring ceremony include: public artist Candice Yee-June Chang; author and Newbery Award Winner Christopher Paul Curtis; former Detroit Executive Director and Health Officer Abdul M. El-Sayed; musician and Philadelphia Orchestra member Carol Jantsch; Wello Water CEO and Founder Cynthia Koenig; Skoll Global Threats Fund President Annie Maxwell; Amazon Vice President Babak Parviz; and Boys and Girls Club of America Senior Vice President Damon A. Williams.

Visit the UM website for a full list of bios of the alumni award recipients for the spring and winter commencements.

Instead of being seated on the bleachers inside Michigan Stadium, graduating students are seated on the field, the university announced, allowing more seating for family and friends of graduates.