New College students to celebrate graduation May 13


Spring 2010 graduates from ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences will celebrate their accomplishments during a convocation ceremony at 7:30 p.m., May 13, on the Fletcher Library lawn at the university’s West campus.

A total of 352 students earned bachelor’s degrees from New College, with another 36 completing their master’s degrees.

“We are proud of the achievements of our new graduates and wish them well in their future endeavors,” said Elizabeth Langland, ASU vice president and dean of New College. “The event on Thursday evening will be a wonderful opportunity for New College students to gather with friends and family members, as well as ASU faculty and staff, and be recognized for reaching a significant milestone in their lives.”

New College, the core college on the West campus, offers bachelor’s degree programs in a wide range of fields including life sciences, history, psychology, applied computing, interdisciplinary arts and performance, and political science. Programs in the college are known for crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries and giving undergraduate students the opportunity to work side by side with professors on cutting-edge research projects. New College students are eligible to participate in ASU’s honors programs offered through Barrett, the Honors College.

New College also offers master’s degree programs in applied ethics and the professions, communication studies, interdisciplinary studies, psychology, and social justice and human rights.

The Thursday evening convocation at the West campus will follow university commencement ceremonies at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The commencement for graduate students is set for 4 p.m., May 12; undergraduate students will graduate at 8:30 a.m., May 13. ASU is awarding more than 10,000 degrees this spring, the largest number in the university’s history.

New College students are encouraged to participate in both commencement at Tempe and convocation at the West campus. (Commencement is the official graduation ceremony during which degrees are conferred. A convocation ceremony recognizes graduates who share a particular affiliation within the university – in this case, those graduating from New College programs.)

The college offers academic programs within three divisions: Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; Mathematical and Natural Sciences; and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Information about New College degree programs may be found at http://newcollege.asu.edu/.