Class of 2021 Commencement
Saturday, May 22, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
Stegeman Coliseum
Athens, GA
Doors open at 9:00 a.m. // Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Livestream
We are committed to a culture of shared responsibility as part of our community-wide effort to combat COVID-19. If you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, we ask that you do not attend the ceremony.
The University System has now updated its guidance on face coverings and social distancing in accordance with the advice provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 13, 2021. Effective immediately, fully vaccinated individuals can resume campus classes and other activities without physically distancing or wearing a mask. This includes the School of Law Commencement Ceremony on May 22, 2021. Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to continue socially distancing from others when possible and wearing a face covering while inside campus facilities.
For those who cannot attend in person, a livestream of the ceremony is available at law.uga.edu. Anyone deemed at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 by public health officials is strongly encouraged to view the livestream rather than attend the ceremony in person.
Tickets
Tickets are REQUIRED, and it is the responsibility of each graduate to request their own ticket and guest tickets. Each graduate is allowed up to 6 guest tickets. Upon receipt, tickets must be printed at home, distributed to each guest and presented at the gate.
Deadline to request tickets is May 11, 2021.
Hotel
The School of Law has secured a block of hotel rooms for graduate and guest use at the Georgia Center & Hotel. Rooms are available for Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22. The room block is available on a first come, first served basis. Please use group code 93427 online or reference same group code when you call.
Visit hotel.uga.edu or call 706-542-2134 to make your reservation. Deadline to use room block is April 30, 2021.
Clear Bag Policy
The CLEAR BAG policy is in effect for Commencement. Anything you wish to carry inside Stegeman Coliseum must be placed in an appropriately sized clear bag – no camera cases, diaper bags, women’s purses (no matter the size), back packs, etc., are allowed inside for the ceremony and should be left at home or locked in your car. More detail here:
Pronunciation Name Confirmation
Please confirm how you want your name listed in the official commencement program and announced by the Faculty Marshalls. This form also provides an opportunity to submit notes/audio with specific pronunciations guidance for your name. Deadline to submit this information is Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
Graduate Slideshow
As part of our celebrations, the Law School will organize a slideshow with images of your class. To submit images for possible inclusion, please email them to lawcomm@uga.edu with “grad photos” as the subject. The deadline to submit photos is Friday, May 14. Photos for the graduation slideshow should be formatted as jpgs. Most smartphones and all digital cameras will give us images with a high enough resolution to create slides.
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
On July 1, 2005, Harold D. Melton was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor Sonny Perdue. He was sworn in as Chief Justice on September 4, 2018 by former Chief Justice P. Harris Hines.
Prior to joining the Court, Chief Justice Melton served as Executive Counsel to Governor Perdue, representing the Governor on legal issues covering the entire scope of state government. Chief Justice Melton helped safeguard Georgia’s interests in water rights disputes with Alabama and Florida, and he actively participated in administration efforts to advance the delivery of criminal justice services in the State.
Before serving as Executive Counsel, Chief Justice Melton spent 11 years in the Georgia Department of Law under two Attorneys General where he dealt with issues ranging from the creation of the Georgia Lottery Corporation to the administration of Georgia’s tobacco settlement. Prior to leaving to join the Governor’s Office, he served as Section Leader over the Consumer Interests Division.
Chief Justice Melton received a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia in 1991. He previously served as a Volunteer Leader of Young Life Ministries for 11 years and currently serves on a local Young Life Board and on the national board. He is also a Board Member of Atlanta Youth Academies.
A native of Washington, D.C., Chief Justice Melton grew up in East Point and Marietta, Georgia. He currently resides in Atlanta with his wife, Kimberly, and their three children.
TICKETS/REGISTRATION
Registration is now open for the Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony at Stegeman Coliseum. J.D., M.S.L, and LL.M. degree recipients for May 2021 are eligible to register for up to 6 guest tickets, plus one graduate ticket. Tickets are required for ALL attendees. Upon receipt, tickets must be printed at home, distributed to guests and presented at the gate. Registration requires a UGA ID number. Registration closes on May 11, 2021.
Tickets are reserved and assigned. Guests will be seated in assigned seating throughout upper and lower levels of Coliseum. Graduates will sit in their assigned seat on the floor and should proceed directly to the graduate check-in table located on the floor upon arrival inside the Coliseum. Doors open at 9:00 a.m., and the ceremony will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. There will be no formal processional. It is important that graduates and guests are not late.
Please have your UGA ID number ready for registration. Tickets will be emailed closer to the ceremony. Your UGA ID number can be found on the back of your UGA ID card or on ATHENA.
We sincerely wish we could accommodate more guests, but in light of current public health official guidance on social distancing, seating is limited in Stegeman Coliseum. In addition, not all sections will be open, as the stage setup does not allow. The pandemic conditions make this ceremony different than traditional ceremonies previously held at Stegeman Coliseum. For these reasons, each graduate is limited to 6 guests.
Seats will be available in pods of 4 and 2. Please sit in your reserved, assigned seats. Graduates and guests may not move seat markers. Please note that if you are seated in seats other than your ticketed assignment, you will be asked to relocate.
If you or any of your guests need wheelchair seating accommodations please contact Alex C. Perry at alexcperry@uga.edu. Wheelchair seating is limited and Stegeman Coliseum does not provide wheelchairs on-site.
ARRIVAL/SEATING
Graduates will receive a graduate "floor" ticket along with their requested guest tickets. Upon arrival to the Coliseum, graduates can use any of gates (A,B,C,D,E,F,G and H) to enter and then proceed to Section N stairs in order to access the floor. Graduate check-in table will be located at the bottom of the stairs on the floor. Guests will sit in the reserved, assigned seats as indicated on their tickets.
PARKING
Stegeman Coliseum is located at 100 Smith Street and can be accessed from S. Lumpkin Street by turning onto either Smith Street or Carlton Street. Free, first-come, first-served parking will be available in the Carlton Street Deck and the South Campus Deck, as well as open lots surrounding the Coliseum.
Please note that due to COVID-19, the University will not be providing transportation from remote parking lots to the Coliseum. Visitors should be prepared to walk from the parking lots and decks to the Coliseum. Disability parking is available in all parking decks and open lots surrounding the Coliseum.
If you have additional parking questions, please contact Parking Services at 706‑542‑7275.
FACE COVERINGS
The University System has now updated its guidance on face coverings and social distancing in accordance with the advice provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 13, 2021. Effective immediately, fully vaccinated individuals can resume campus classes and other activities without physically distancing or wearing a mask. This includes the School of Law Commencement Ceremony on May 22, 2021. Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to continue socially distancing from others when possible and wearing a face covering while inside campus facilities.
ENTRANCE
All gates (A,B,C,D,E,F,G and H) will be open. Face coverings are required for entrance to the stadium.
The Clear Bag Policy will be in effect. Anything you wish to carry inside Stegeman Coliseum must be placed in an appropriately sized clear bag – no camera cases, diaper bags, women’s purses (no matter the size), back packs, etc., are allowed inside for the ceremony and should be left at home or locked in your car.
CONCESSIONS
Guests are permitted to bring in one, unopened bottle of water and only food items that fit it inside the permitted-sized clear bags. Concessions will NOT be available.
RESTROOMS
Decals will be placed on the ground in and around the restrooms to promote social distancing. All restrooms will be disinfected with an electrostatic sprayer before the ceremony. Hand sanitizer dispensers will be deployed throughout the stadium. All public water fountains will be disabled.
PROJECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY
Announcements and live image magnification of the ceremony will be projected on the Coliseum jumbotron and throughout the concourse monitors. Professional photographers will be on hand to provide photographs for purchase at a later date.
PROGRAMS
A commemorative program will be provided to each graduate. A digital version will be available for guests to view via their personal smart phone or tablet. Each graduate's name will be printed in the program (even if they do not attend the ceremony in-person), unless there is FERPA restriction.
To remove FERPA restrictions, the graduate will need to contact the law school's Office of the Registrar at https://www.law.uga.edu/registrar, mcbride1@uga.edu, or 706-542-5123.
LEAVING THE CEREMONY
At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates will recess out of the Coliseum through the loading dock. Guests will be asked to exit in an orderly fashion as released by section. This is an attempt to prevent over-crowding on the Coliseum concourse and at each gate.
Guests should plan to meet their graduate for pictures in the outside plazas surrounding the Coliseum. No one, other than the graduates, will be admitted to the Coliseum floor, and once a graduate or guest has exited the Coliseum, re-entry will not be allowed.
REGALIA RETURN
Following the ceremony, the UGA Bookstore will be stationed in the outside plazas surrounding the Coliseum for graduates to return regalia. Please contact the UGA Bookstore at bookstor@uga.edu with any regalia related questions.
REGALIA QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about delivery dates or distribution of your regalia, please contact the UGA Bookstore directly. While the Law School is paying for the regalia, it cannot distribute it. The UGA Bookstore can be reached by email at bookstor@uga.edu (notice the missing “e”) or by calling 706-542-7224. Contact them as soon as you have a question or concern.
STAY CONNECTED
Upon graduation, you automatically become a member of the School of Law's alumni/alumnae network, approximately 11,000 Law Dawgs strong.
You should receive an email from EITS notifying you that your MyID and UGAMail accounts will be disabled in May 2022. Be sure to stay connected to the law school by visiting our alumni website at www.law.uga.edu/alumni.
Stay connected with your law school after your UGAMail account is disabled by providing your updated email address to the law school's alumni/alumnae office. Send your contact information update to lawalum@uga.edu.
If you have any questions on how to stay engaged and/or financially support the law school, contact Alex C. Perry, Director of Alumni Relations, Annual Giving and Stewardship at alexcperry@uga.edu or 706-542-5253.