Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen announced there will be two undergraduate commencement ceremonies this spring in an email Thursday afternoon.

The change comes after a survey of over 2,100 seniors, Wintersteen said.

“This change best aligns with the wishes of our prospective graduates,” Wintersteen said, in the email. “It will ensure our graduates and their guests can enjoy the traditional elements of commencement and the desired experience expressed by students…and a much shorter ceremony.”

Both of the undergraduate commencements will take place in Hilton Coliseum this year on May 5. The commencement ceremony for students in the colleges of agriculture and life sciences, business and liberal arts and sciences will begin at 10 a.m. The ceremony for undergraduates in the colleges of design, engineering and human sciences will begin at 2:30 p.m.

For each ceremony, the main speaker will be Wintersteen.

The College of Veterinary Medicine commencement ceremony will take place on May 5 at 12:30 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium. The graduate commencement will be on May 3 at 7 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. 

College convocations and receptions will be on Friday or Saturday, so they don’t conflict with the commencement times.

Further information about commencement can be found on the Iowa State Graduation and Commencement website.

“Graduation is a wonderful time filled with reflection, celebration and excitement for the future. I look forward to honoring our graduates who have worked so hard to reach this important milestone,” Wintersteen said.