More than 1,200 students are eligible to participate in Wichita State University’s 128th fall commencement ceremonies Sunday, Dec. 14 in Charles Koch Arena. Degrees will be conferred at the following ceremonies:   

• 2 p.m.: All graduate degree programs 
• 5 p.m.: All undergraduate degree programs

Graduates will walk across the stage and be individually recognized. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at the 2 p.m. ceremony.  

All graduation attendees will be required to be screened by security personnel and metal detectors as they enter the arena. Koch Arena opens at 1 p.m. It’s recommended that audience members arrive early to allow sufficient time to get through security. There will also be a clear-bag policy for all those in attendance. Read more about Wichita State’s security guidelines.   

Please note that guest seating will be on a first-come basis, and no tickets will be required for entrance.  

For individuals unable to attend in person, the ceremonies will be available via online livestream. To view the ceremonies, go to wichita.edu/commencement and scroll down to "Watch the ceremonies live” and on the ceremony you’d like to watch. Livestreams will begin 20 minutes before each ceremony.   

For more information regarding commencement, consult the commencement FAQ online.  

Grammy award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, a 1992 Shocker graduate, will be the virtual guest speaker during the 5 p.m. undergraduate ceremony, where she will also receive the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.  

An honorary degree is an exceptional honor bestowed upon a person without fulfilling the usual academic requirements. It is conferred only upon persons of notable intellectual, scholarly, professional, creative achievement or service to humanity consistent with the endeavors of WSU. Former recipients of a Wichita State honorary doctorate include Khalid Raza, CEO and founder of Graphiant, in 2021 and philanthropists and entrepreneurs Gene and Yolanda Camarena in 2023.  

DiDonato graduated from Wichita State in 1992 with a degree in music education. She’s since gone on to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, and concert halls across the globe. Her roles in productions such as “Dead Man Walking,” “The Hours” and “Agrippina” showcase her unmatched ability to bring music and human emotion to life. 

Among dozens of awards and nominations, DiDonato was awarded Grammys for Best Classical Vocal Solo in 2012, 2016 and 2020. 

The Toast is a semiannual tradition at Wichita State University to celebrate the years of hard work graduates have put into earning their degrees. Attending graduates may bring up to two guests and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, champagne toast and door prizes.  

The Toast is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. Dec. 12 in Beggs Ballroom on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Learn more about The Toast.  

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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