May Ceremonies
 

The School of MCB May 2024 ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 12, 2024 at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts beginning at 9:00 AM. We anticipate the ceremony lasting about an hour and thirty minutes. The ceremony will be live streamed for guests who are unable to attend. An informal reception in the Krannert Center lobby will follow the ceremony. Please note -- participating in convocation does require excessive walking, standing, and stair climbing.

Questions about the School of MCB Convocation ceremony can be sent to advising@mcb.illinois.edu. You may also call 217-333-6774. Should you need an invitation letter for families traveling internationally, you can download this Invitation to the May 12, 2024 Convocation Ceremony letter.

The university-wide Commencement Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 9:30 AM CT at Memorial Stadium. Information regarding this ceremony can be found at this website.

The Doctoral Hooding Celebration is scheduled for Friday, May 10 at the State Farm Center beginning at 10:00 AM. More information can be found at this website.

Graduates may participate in as many ceremonies and celebrations as they would like. However, separate registration is required for each ceremony and participants must order a cap and gown to wear for the ceremonies. The same cap and gown can be worn at all ceremonies and celebrations.

Each PhD or MS student participating in the School of MCB Convocation Ceremony is entitled to 7 total tickets. Each BS student participating in the ceremony is entitled to a total of 5 tickets. Graduates will not need a ticket. REGISTER AND REQUEST TICKETS HERE BY APRIL 9 AT 11:59 PM CT.  ALL guests, including infants, must have a ticket to attend the ceremony.

There may be a small number of additional tickets that can be requested via student lottery (2 maximum per student) in early May. If additional tickets are available, an email notification will be sent to registrants. Note: There is no guarantee that extra tickets will be available.

Tickets will not be distributed until May 2024 in the MCB Center for Advising, room 200 of Burrill Hall during business hours. Note: a photo ID is required to pick up tickets. Tickets will only be given to the graduate who registered for the ceremony unless alternate arrangements have been approved by Dara Lawyer (dpl@illinois.edu). Graduates who live off campus and are unable to pick up their tickets can request that tickets be held until Sunday morning. They will be available at the check-in table on level 2 in the Orchestra Rehearsal Room.

Information about ordering academic regalia (cap and gown) can be found on the campus Commencement academic attire website. To receive a discounted rate (a $20 savings on attire and the standard shipping charge of $15.95), regalia must be ordered BEFORE Tuesday, April 9 at 10:59 p.m. Regular pricing will be available online Wednesday, April 10 through Thursday, April 25 and will be shipped via 2nd-Day Air to ensure delivery ($24.95) A pre-paid return shipping label is included.

Day of ceremony instructions will be posted here in May 2024. Participants should plan to arrive at The Krannert Center for Performing Arts between 8:00 AM and 8:20 AM for check-in at the Orchestra Rehearsal Room on level 2.

Guests without accommodation requests will enter on level 5 and proceed to the Great Hall. Guests with accommodation requests will enter on level 2 and find a Krannert staff member for assistance.

The May 2024 School of MCB convocation speaker is Dr. Kameno Bell.

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An emergency medicine physician, Dr. Kameno Bell received his BS in biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1992 followed by his MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000. Born and raised in Chicago, Dr. Bell developed a love for sports and biology while a student at Whitney Young High School. At Illinois, he pursued both these passions as a biology student and a running back on the Fighting Illini football team. In 1991, he was named the team’s most valuable player. Drafted by the Miami Dolphins, Bell went to Florida for preseason training—and while there he took the medical school entrance exam.

After gaining admission to medical school, he turned his focus on pursuing his MD. His residencies were at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, first in general surgery and then in emergency medicine. After completing a fellowship in sports medicine at Indiana University Hospital, Dr. Bell joined the staff at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. He has been an emergency room physician there since 2007. As a mentor to resident physicians at the medical center and as a professor at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and Saint George University School of Medicine, he teaches the next generation of physicians. Dr. Bell has continued to keep a close connection to the football world; he serves as an associate team physician with the New York Giants. He and his wife, Kenyanna Bell, are parents to three daughters: Alyssa, Nia, and Maya.

Contact

If you have any further questions regarding convocation, including accessibility concerns, please contact MCB Advising at advising@mcb.illinois.edu or call (217) 333-6774.