2023 Economics Graduation Ceremony

Our ceremony will celebrate Economics undergraduates whose degrees were awarded in Summer 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023. Graduates must register by March 27th to walk in the ceremony. If you did not respond to the survey before the deadline, email kcfinn@unc.edu.
Family and friends are encouraged to join us at Carmichael Arena. Doors will open at 3:00p. No advance registration or tickets are required for guests. Students and their guests are also invited to attend the larger University-wide Commencement ceremony that will take place in Kenan Stadium on Sunday, May 14th. More information on this ceremony is available here. 

If you did not respond to the survey before the deadline and you are planning to attend the ceremony, please send the following information to Kelly Finn at kcfinn@unc.edu:

• • Your full name
  • (Optional) Please spell your name phonetically to aid with pronunciation during the ceremony
  • (Optional) How many guests do you expect to bring?
  • (Optional) Do you or your guests have any accessibility accommodation needs? If yes, please describe (i.e., wheelchair access.)

Graduates will check in with Econ staff in the Woollen Gymnasium located adjacent Carmichael Arena. All graduates should arrive by 3:45 p.m. At check-in, a staff member will give you a name card. Please hold onto your name card. This request is important as you will hand your name card to the reader so that your name can be called during the distribution of commemorative diplomas.

Each participant will receive a name card, which will include a pronunciation guide, if one was provided during the RSVP process. If you did not respond to the RSVP survey by the deadline, please contact kcfinn@unc.edu.

The ceremony will consist of remarks by faculty, students, and a special guest speaker, as well as the distribution of commemorative diplomas. Once on stage, you will hand your card to the reader, who will announce your name as indicated in your RSVP response. You will then walk across the stage and receive your diploma from Economics Chair Professor Donna Gilleskie.

Our guest speaker for 2023 will be Janet Chess, Global Vice President and Managing Director for Cisco. She has built her entire career in the Tech industry, and has held senior leadership positions in business development, consulting services and corporate social responsibility for Xerox, Microsoft, and now IBM. Janet earned a B.A. in Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1988, where she was a Joseph E. Pogue Scholar. She is on our Econ Dept Advisory Board and also currently sits on the Board of Governors for the Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago, is a member of the Executive Advisory Council for the Deese College of Business & Economics at N.C. A&T State University and serves on the Community Board for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spaulding. Janet currently resides in Chicago, IL.

Yes. As each graduate is handed their diploma, a picture will be taken by a professional photographer with Photo Specialties. A free color proof will be sent to your current mailing address, including a password for online viewing.  You are under no obligation to purchase prints.  To receive an email notification the moment your photos are online, please visit www.photospecialties.com to pre-register.  If you do not receive a proof within a week of the ceremony, please contact info@photospecialties.com or call 919-967-9576.

Guests may park at any of the parking lots that are designated for visitors, but the nearest parking deck with accessible options and a shuttle service to and from Carmichael Arena is the School of Government parking deck.

For a complete list of parking options, please see the UNC visitor parking map.

Graduates should wear their cap and gown with business casual attire underneath.

A shuttle will be going to and from Carmichael Arena and the School of Government parking deck. The main entrance to Carmichael Arena is wheelchair-friendly, and there is accessible seating available inside the arena (in the top of section 105-109.) Click here for more information about accessibility options in Carmichael.

During the ceremony you will receive a commemorative stand-in for your official diploma. Your official diploma will arrive in the mail after graduation. More information on diplomas can be found here.