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Fresno State’s Commencement is a culmination of the efforts of everyone on campus, according to Paul M. Oliaro, vice president for Student Affairs. It's a celebration of all the work university employees put into students' lives.

"Every Commencement is special, because it is a celebration of what we do as a university," says Oliaro. "Yes, it begins with celebrating the academic achievements of our students. That’s the most important part, but we also celebrate all the hard work of faculty, staff, and managers across the campus who work every day to help our students succeed. So it really is a campus-wide celebration."

This year will be the 99th Commencement, the start of Fresno State's Centennial year celebration, which will culminate next year in May of 2011 with the 100th Commencement.

In May, the university will hold traditional events, including the awarding of the President’s Medal, which recognizes an outstanding undergraduate baccalaureate degree candidate and an outstanding master’s degree candidate from each college, school, and the Division of Student Affairs.

"It is truly one of the highest recognitions a student can receive at Fresno State," says Oliaro.

In addition to the all-university ceremony on Saturday May 22, where the actual conferral of degrees takes place, on Friday, May 21, colleges, schools, and a number of academic departments hold special convocations in which graduates are recognized individually for their academic achievements and receive a facsimile diploma.

The university also has a tradition of holding an African American convocation that celebrates the achievements of its African American students. In addition, the university holds a Latino Commencement; this year, a celebration that recognizes migrant students’ achievements is being added.

Also this year, a special ceremony will recognize the Japanese students who were at Fresno State in 1941-42. As part of a state-wide Nisei Diploma Project, Fresno State, along with all the other CSUs that were in existence at the time, will have a chance to provide honorary degrees to those students who were enrolled in 1941-42, but had their studies interrupted as a result of their interment at the beginning of World War II.

"On May 20, we will be recognizing those students who were at Fresno State in ’41-42 who are alive and/or have family in the area," says Oliaro. "They will receive their honorary degrees as recognition of the injustice that was done to them back at that time. So this year our Commencement celebrations will be probably more special than ever before. We hope that our campus will be able to participate in several of them over the course of the three days from May 20 to May 22."

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