![Graduates in regalia smiling and flashing shaka](https://www.hawaii.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/manoa-2017-grad.jpg)
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa‘s 2017 Mid-Year Commencement Exercise will be held on Saturday, December 16, in the Stan Sheriff Center (SSC) on lower campus from 9 a.m. to noon. The student procession will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the program begins at 9 a.m. Approximately 900 candidates for certificates, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorates are registered to participate in the ceremony.
Keynote speaker is Martha Nussbaum, nationally renowned philosopher and author. She earned her bachelor of arts from New York University and her master’s and doctorate degrees from Harvard University. Student speaker is Annabelle Le Jeune, candidate for bachelor’s degrees in English and journalism.
Attendees should be aware of expected traffic congestion upon entering and exiting lower campus. Free parking is available on upper campus and in the lower campus parking structure, which opens at 5 a.m. Please approach the campus with caution, and arrive early to avoid delays, if possible. The Waiʻalae entrance will be closed before and during the ceremony.
To view a live webcast of the ceremony, and for more information, please visit the commencement website. The webcast will be viewable on the website until May 2018.
Entering and seating/H-ZONE store
Doors to the SSC will open at 7:45 a.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public. No tickets are issued, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are urged to arrive early, as the doors will be closed when the arena reaches maximum capacity.
Balloons, strollers and large signs are not allowed inside the SSC.
Overflow seating for the ceremony is in the Les Murakami Stadium. The ceremony will be shown live on the stadium screen. Food will be available for purchase at concession stands in the stadium.
The metal staircase leading from Johnson Hall on Dole Street to the tennis courts and grass fields is closed due to construction, so attendees should use the parking structure elevators or path from student housing to access lower campus.
The H-ZONE store will be open at the SSC from 8:30 a.m. until the end of the ceremony. A 10 percent discount is available during Saturday’s special hours of operation.
Parking and carpooling
Campus parking is free. Disability accessible parking stalls are located on the third-floor Diamond Head side of the parking structure, with additional stalls distributed on each floor on the ʻEwa side of the parking structure and throughout lots on the main campus. For disability access information, call the Mānoa Commencement Hotline at (808) 956-GRAD (4723).
Graduates who arrive in a vehicle with three or more occupants can park on the UH Lab School lawn on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street, with the entrance on Dole Street. All occupants will receive a free trolley ride to and from the SSC. VIP parking for graduates will open at 6 a.m. and is available until capacity is reached.
Shuttle information
A parking shuttle service will be provided from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from upper campus (main campus) to the SSC on lower campus. Shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible and run a continuous route from the Biomedical Science Building to Krauss Circle, where riders may exit and walk to lower campus at the traffic light and crosswalk located between the law school library and law school.
All stops along its route will be marked with RAINBOW SHUTTLE STOP signs. Stops along the shuttle route are:
- Biomedical Science Building
- Moore Hall
- Kennedy Theatre
- Physical Science Building
- Art Building
- Krauss Circle
- Kuykendall Hall
- Watanabe Hall
- Jefferson Hall
- Center for Korean Studies
- Biomedical Science Building
- Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
For shuttle return trips throughout upper campus (main campus), passengers may board the shuttles at Krauss Circle and will be dropped off at stops along the way.
Congratulating graduates and purchasing lei
After the ceremony, guests may meet graduates to bestow their congratulations and lei near the appropriate alphabetical signs on the Clarence T.C. Ching Field (last names A–K) and the Les Murakami Stadium field (last names L–Z). Alphabet signs will be posted and maps will be available in the commencement program.
Authorized lei vendors will be set up within Ching Field on the pool side of the facility.