Wichita State University will hold its fall ceremony of the 121st commencement in Charles Koch Arena at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. Nearly 1,200 students are eligible to graduate this fall.

All graduates will walk across the stage and be individually recognized. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at this ceremony.

Wichita State's fall commencement ceremony in Koch Arena will be available via webcast. To view the ceremony, go to www.wichita.edu/commencement and click on "Live Commencement Streaming." The site will go live at about 2:25 p.m. Dec. 16.

Christine Downey-Schmidt will receive the President's Medal. The President's Medal is awarded annually to a person who is selected for humility, for interest in others and especially for extraordinary and exemplary leadership through integrity, service to humanity and expertise in his or her field. 

Downey-Schmidt was elected to three terms in the Kansas Senate. She has served on the Kansas Board of Regents and was chair in 2007-08. She currently serves on the Governance Board for the Higher Learning Commission, northcentral region. 

Wayne Woolsey will receive the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. An honorary degree is an exceptional honor bestowed upon a person without fulfillment of the usual requirements. It is conferred only upon persons of notable intellectual, scholarly, professional, creative achievement or service to humanity consistent with the endeavors of WSU.

Woolsey is chairman of Wichita-based Woolsey Companies, an oil and natural gas exploration and production company he founded in 1978. Woolsey and his wife, Kay, have committed funding to build Woolsey Hall, the new home for WSU's Barton School of Business.

Security procedures will be implemented

To ensure the safety of everyone attending commencement, the following security procedures are being implemented:

Everyone attending, assisting or participating in commencement will be required to be screened and pass through metal detectors as they enter the arena. Koch Arena will open at 1 p.m. We recommend you arrive early to allow sufficient time to get through security.

Please note the following items are prohibited:
- Outside food and drink
- Weapons not allowed by law
- Noisemakers
- Pocket and box knives
- Alcohol and drugs

Wichita State staff reserves the right to prohibit any items deemed inappropriate.

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The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.