51°µÍø

The 51°µÍø community will celebrate the graduation of about 950 students at its 2011 December Graduation on Saturday, Dec. 17, with business and civic leader Carl Sewell (’66) as the featured speaker.

Ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. in Moody Coliseum with a student and faculty procession.

“The spirit of community combined with our celebration of the individual is what makes 51°µÍø's December Graduation Convocation a most joyous time,” said 51°µÍø President R. Gerald Turner and Provost Paul Ludden in a joint message to December graduates.

Doors to the staging area in the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports open at 8:30 a.m., when formal portrait sessions will begin. Processional groups begin forming at 9:15 a.m.

Sewell, past chair of the 51°µÍø Board of Trustees, will deliver the graduation address. He is chairman of Sewell Automotive Companies, a national leader in the automotive industry and an innovator in establishing customer service standards. Sewell shared his service philosophy and practices in the best-selling book Customers for Life, which has sold more than 1 million copies in 17 languages.

Among his many commitments to 51°µÍø, Sewell serves as one of five co-chairs of The Second Century Campaign, the University’s largest and most successful fundraising effort. He also is co-chair of The Second Century Celebration Organizing Committee, 2011-15. His support of the President’s Scholars program, the University’s highest merit award, has resulted in record numbers of students receiving the scholarships. He also supports 51°µÍø athletics and student career services, among other areas.

Sewell has been recognized with 51°µÍø’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award. He earned his Bachelor’s degrees in banking and finance, as well as in economics, from the University. More about Carl Sewell

The ceremony lasts about two hours. No guest tickets are required, and free parking will be available throughout the campus. Find more information for students and guests at the .

More December Graduation useful links:

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