The Commencement, Convocations, and Recognitions Committee makes recommendations to the president and the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs regarding commencements, convocations, awards, honorary degrees, emeritus status, and other forms of recognition.
Meeting Schedule
Meetings are scheduled by the chair of the committee. The committee typically meets in late February and through electronic mail. No action can be taken at committee meetings unless a majority of the voting membership is present.
Members
Dawn Oetjen, Chair
College of Community Innovation and Education
Health Management and Informatics
Email: Dawn.Oetjen@ucf.eduAxel Stock, Vice Chair
College of Business
Marketing
Email: Axel.Stock@ucf.edu
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Axel Stock
College of Business Administration-Marketing; Senate Representative -
Joseph Brennan
College of Sciences-Mathematics; Faculty Representative -
Shawn Li
College of Medicine-Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences; Faculty Representative -
Dawn Oetjen
College of Community Innovation and Education-Health Management & Informatics; Faculty Representative; Chair, Commencements, Convocations and Recognitions Committee -
Yao Li
College of Graduate Studies-School of Modeling Simulation & Training; Faculty Representative -
Aristide Dogariu
College of Optics and Photonics; Senate Representative -
Tammie Kauffman
Rosen College of Hospitality Management-Foodservice & Lodging Management; Faculty Representative -
Elizabeth Kinchen
College of Nursing-Nursing Systems; Faculty Representative -
Luci Blanco
Student Government Association; Student Representative -
Tyler Fisher
College of Arts and Humanities- Modern Languages and Literature; Faculty Represenative
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Tong Min
University Libraries- Research & Information Services; Faculty Represenative
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Julie Steen
College of Health Professions and Sciences- Social Work; Faculty Representative -
Denise Lowe
Division of Digital Learning- Center for Distributed Learning; Faculty Representative -
Allie Demarco
Student Government Association; Student Representative
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Joel Cramer
Academic Affairs-Faculty Excellence; Committee Administrator, University Travel Awards Committee; Administrator-Strategic Planning Council; Ex Officio-Commencements and Personnel Committees -
Ahmad Elshennawy
College of Engineering and Computer Science-Industrial Engineering & Management Systems; Senate Representative
Membership
The committee shall consist of one tenured faculty member from each academic unit, and one Associate or University Librarian selected by the Committee on Committees (in consultation with the president), two students selected by the president of the Student Government Association (in consultation with the president) and the president and the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs or their designees. The president (or designee) shall identify other ex officio members. The chair is appointed annually by the president from the faculty membership. The vice chair shall be elected annually by its membership at the first meeting of the committee after the new Faculty Senate is elected, normally in the early fall term.Terms of service shall be two years, staggered, with the exception of the student members, who shall serve for one year.
Duties and Responsibilities
- To examine and review commencement and convocation procedures and to make recommendations for future commencements and convocations, taking into account budgetary implications.
- To make recommendations to the president regarding speakers for commencements and convocations.
- To make recommendations regarding the number and kinds of commencements and convocations.
- To review proposals for awards, emeritus status, honorary degrees, awarding posthumous degrees, and any other recognition or honors bestowed by the university and to make recommendations to the president.
- To recommend the standards and criteria by which to judge the qualifications for awarding honorary degrees.
- To recommend criteria for the selection of those to be honored by the university with the designation distinguished alumnus.
- To serve as a selection committee for those to be named distinguished alumni.
Committee Reports
The committee submits a brief annual report of the committees’ activities by the end of the second week of August each year. Below are the annual reports for the committee.
Committee Guidance
UCF Policy 4-502.4 Emeritus Status
UCF Policy 4-404 Awarding of Degrees Posthumously
UCF Policy 4-408 Honorary Degrees