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The �������Ƶ is celebrating its Fall 2021 graduates during Commencement ceremonies today and tomorrow, where a total of 1,303 degrees will be conferred.

Individual Commencement ceremonies for the University’s eight academic colleges and Graduate School are being held Friday and Saturday at the Cajundome and Convention Center. Ceremonies for the colleges of the Arts, Business Administration, Engineering, Graduate School and Nursing and Allied Health Professions were set for Friday. Ceremonies for the colleges of Education, Liberal Arts, Sciences and University College are Saturday.

All told, the University will confer 977 bachelor’s degrees, 309 master’s degrees, 15 doctoral degrees and two graduate certificates. The number of master’s degrees are most ever awarded in a fall semester, and slightly less than the record number of master’s degrees awarded in the spring. Graduates are from 48 Louisiana parishes, 31 states and U.S. territories, and 39 foreign countries.

During the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions’ ceremony, Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, surprised graduates with one final assignment – to inspect their diplomas.

“On the surface, they commemorate your labor and sacrifice and success, but look closely and you can envision the fingerprints of your classmates, your faculty, your family and all the people who helped you to reach your destination today,” Savoie said. 

“So, don’t let this day go by without thanking them. And in the future, when you look at your diplomas, imagine those fingerprints. Remember how the kindness of others influenced your lives, and let those memories inspire you to help someone else reach their goals as well.” 

Community leader, businessman and philanthropist James “Jim” Devin Moncus was awarded an honorary doctorate of nursing practice posthumously during the ceremony. Moncus died earlier this year at age 81.

Taisiia Kolisnyk is UL Lafayette’s Outstanding Master’s Graduate. She earned a master of architecture from the School of Architecture and Design. Tyler Francis is the University’s Outstanding Graduate. An accounting major, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.

Eleven undergraduate students were recognized as summa cum laude graduates for achieving 4.0 GPAs. Honorees, listed by college, are:

College of the Arts

• Evan B. Gillis, visual arts

B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration

• Allison Joann Bourgeois, marketing

College of Engineering

• Charles Kreamer, electrical engineering

College of Liberal Arts

• Kylee P. Elkins, sociology
• Caitlyn Michelle Hesterman, psychology
• Cade H. Mataya, political science
• Mikayla Elizabeth Miller, psychology

Ray P. Authement College of Sciences

• Evan Jude Kidder, biology
• Maxwell David Lovig, mathematics
• Abby Jolie Miller, biology
• Chloe Kim St. Germain-Vermillion, biology

View a list of Fall 2021 graduates.

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Fall 2021 Commencement ceremonies for each academic college and the Graduate School will be livestreamed via .

The individual ceremonies will also be livestreamed on the Facebook pages for seven academic colleges and the Graduate School. The ceremony for one academic college, University College, will be livestreamed on the �������Ƶ's main Facebook page. Links to each of those Facebook pages can be found .

Photo caption: UL Lafayette will award 1,303 degrees during individual Commencement ceremonies for its eight academic colleges and Graduate School on Friday and Saturday. During the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions' ceremony Friday, Dr. Joseph Savoie, University president, presented an honorary doctorate of nursing practice to Ruth Moncus, who accepted it on behalf of her late husband, James “Jim” Devin Moncus. (Photo credit: Rachel Rafati / �������Ƶ)