By Walter Ryce

This year, CSU Monterey Bay’s commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 21, at the Salinas Sports Complex.

“Commencement is the best part of the year at CSUMB,” said President Vanya Quiñones. “It is a culmination of all the hard work of our students and a chance to celebrate their accomplishments. We are most looking forward to seeing all of the graduates in their regalia, with their decorated mortar boards, and to see them finish this journey they started with us.”

The university held a single commencement ceremony for everyone until 2016 when graduates and their families outgrew CSUMB’s stadium. To accommodate, the university put on two ceremonies in one day, and then later, it grew to three ceremonies in two days – separated by colleges.

But this year, CSUMB will enjoy a one-day commencement ceremony and college convocations again. More than 2,400 students are graduating, so the Commencement Planning Committee found a venue that can accommodate that entire class and up to six guests for each of them.

The Salinas Sports Complex (1034 N. Main St., Salinas) is the only venue in Monterey County with enough capacity and seating for all students to gather and receive their degrees at the same time and place, with friends and faculty across all colleges in one ceremony.

The venue has been used for many years for all kinds of events that have built and shaped the local cultural landscape, including the California Rodeo Salinas; music acts, including Mary J. Blige, Aerosmith, and Luis Miguel; soccer, football, and other sports; and various school graduation ceremonies.

CSUMB’s graduation day will include the traditional all-Otter Commencement Ceremony at 11:30 a.m., where degrees are conferred by Quiñones, and inspirational speakers will address graduates and families.

Three Convocations will allow graduates to walk the stage and take a photograph with their deans, including

• The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at 9 a.m. at Rabobank Stadium
• The College of Business and College of Health Sciences and Human Services at 2 p.m. at  Rabobank Stadium
• The College of Education and College of Science at 2 p.m. at the Rodeo Arena.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a Commencement Festival on the midway outside of the Rodeo Arena will offer up entertainment, food and drinks, photo opportunities, gifts, and more.

Throughout the month of May, various Affinity Stole Ceremonies will honor the accomplishments of CSUMB students from historically underrepresented communities.

“Commencement is a singular rite of passage and an achievement that students remember and benefit from for the rest of their lives,” said Provost Katherine Kantardjieff. “As a faculty member, dean, and now provost, it has been a privilege to celebrate this moment, this milestone, with students and their supporters.”

She goes on to call commencement her favorite day for its sense of hope and optimism. This will be her last commencement in the California State University system before she retires, and she shares with graduates a quote from the late actor Chadwick Boseman: "Purpose is the essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose."

That send-off can be taken to heart by graduating students like Emilia Davies-England, a collaborative health and human services major with a concentration in social work, who also was very involved in campus life. She said she has mixed emotions about graduating.

"One part of me is so excited and relieved to be finished. I'm amazed, proud, and in awe of myself for finishing what I started and earning a degree," she said. "I am also incredibly sad to leave the place I have called home for so long -- the structure of college life and the amazing friends and family I have found here. I have built an incredible life, something so good that it makes saying goodbye so hard." 

But that sadness should be alleviated by the possibilities of what the future may bring, as commencement literally means a beginning or start. It might also help to have the entire graduating class -- including friends and teachers across different colleges -- all together for one last day. 

Traffic is expected to be heavy, so attendees are advised to carpool and arrive early. Parking will be free and on a first-come-first-served basis.

More information can be found on the Commencement web page. The University Affairs, Ceremonies, and Events department will communicate further details with the campus community.