Events

UNC to Hold Fall Commencement Ceremonies Dec. 8-9

The University of Northern Colorado will host fall commencement ceremonies Friday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Bank of Colorado Arena in Butler-Hancock Athletic Center, south of the intersection of 14th Avenue and 20th Street.

November 28, 2017

The Graduate School ceremony will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. About 300 candidates are scheduled to receive their master's, doctoral and specialist degrees.

Becky Safarik

The featured speaker will be UNC alumna Becky Safarik. Safarik has worked for the city of Greeley since 1978. She became community development director in 1983 and assistant city manager in 2012, overseeing building inspections, code enforcement, engineering development, natural areas, neighborhood resources, planning, urban renewal operations, and special districts and projects.

Community engagement programs guided by Safarik have received top honors from the International Chiefs of Police, the National League of Cities, the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association, Downtown Colorado Inc. and the Governor’s office.

She earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Related Services from UNC.

About 500 undergraduates are scheduled to receive their degrees during two ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 9.

The ceremony for the Monfort College of Business, the College of Natural and Health Sciences, and the College of Performing and Visual Arts will be at 9 a.m.

The ceremony for the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and University College will be at 12:30 p.m.

Paula Sherlock

The featured speaker for both ceremonies will be UNC alumna Paula Sherlock. Sherlock served as Jefferson County (Kentucky) Circuit Court judge and was chief judge of Family Court in Louisville, Kentucky, until her retirement earlier this year. She was selected as Judge of the Year by the Louisville Bar Association in 2015, the Women Lawyers Association in 2016 and the American Academy of Matrimonial Attorneys of Kentucky in 2014.

Law is a second career for Sherlock, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UNC. She has been a junior high and high school teacher, a high school and college counselor and was the dean of students at Southern Seminary College, a private college for women in Virginia, for 10 years.

Tickets are not required to attend any of the ceremonies. Parking also is free. Entrances for parking lots are located at the corner of 14th Avenue and 20th Street or 11th Avenue and 22nd Street.

All ceremonies will be broadcast live online. Go to www.unco.edu/commencement/webcast.asp for instructions about the live video feed.

For additional information, including more details about the speakers and ceremony etiquette and protocols, visit www.unco.edu/commencement.