UNC Greensboro will award approximately 2,838 earned degrees at the 2022 May Commencement and Doctoral Hooding ceremonies.
The Commencement Ceremony will be held Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. The University’s Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 5, at 10 a.m. at UNCG Auditorium.
The University plans to confer approximately 2,137 bachelor’s degrees, 598 master’s degrees, and 103 doctoral degrees. Of the degrees awarded, 78 will be conferred to international students.
Broadway legend Beth Leavel ’80 MFA will deliver the keynote address to the graduates at Friday’s ceremony and receive an honorary degree. The Tony Award-winning actress and singer has both originated and brought to life numerous iconic roles. Most recently, Leavel appeared on Broadway as Dee Dee Allen in “The Prom” and Florence Greenberg in “Baby, It’s You,” receiving a Tony Award nomination for each role. Other Broadway appearances include “Bandstand,” “Elf,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Young Frankenstein,” “42nd Street,” and more. Leavel has performed in 13 shows on Broadway, and currently, she is preparing for the lead role in Elton John’s musical adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada” in Chicago this summer, in anticipation of a Broadway run.
Leavel hopes to leave UNCG’s newest graduates “with more joy in their hearts” following her keynote address.
“They’re getting a storyteller – who was one of the stories. I hope I can share something, impart something. I hope I can be entertaining.”
Dennis W. Quaintance and Nancy King Quaintance of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels will also receive honorary degrees. Since the opening of Greensboro’s Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in 1989, the Quaintance-Weaver family of businesses has grown to include a second Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, the O. Henry Hotel, Green Valley Grill, Proximity Hotel, and Print Works Bistro. Dennis and Nancy King Quaintance serve as the CEO and Vice President of Quaintance-Weaver, respectively.
Political science and Spanish major Peyton Upchurch will serve as the student speaker.
General seating at the Greensboro Coliseum is unlimited and is not reserved. Parking at the coliseum is free for all graduates and their guests, and parking permits are not required.
Park & Ride buses will be available to transport volunteers, students, staff, and faculty between campus and the coliseum on Friday. Buses will depart campus every 30 minutes beginning at 7 a.m., with the final shuttle returning to campus at 1 p.m. Passengers may board the bus on Stirling Street in front of Elliott University Center.
A live stream of Friday’s ceremony will be available for faculty, staff, family, and friends who are unable to attend in person.
Graduates are invited to share their accomplishments on social media by using related “digital swag,” tagging posts #UNCGGrad, and using Commencement-themed Snapchat filters at the Greensboro Coliseum. The University will display #UNCGGrad-tagged Instagram and Twitter posts live before the ceremony on Friday. To learn more, visit the Commencement Central website.
Story by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
#UNCGGrads, celebrate with us!
Graduates are invited to share their accomplishments on social media by using related “digital swag,” tagging posts #UNCGGrad, and using Commencement-themed Instagram AR and Snapchat filters at the Greensboro Coliseum. The University will display #UNCGGrad-tagged Instagram and Twitter posts live before the ceremony. Graduates are also encouraged to use the Commencement 2022 persona in the UNCG Mobile App.
