The graduation celebration begins as confetti falls at the end of the commencement exercise. The 2016 Fall Commencement will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. A special hooding ceremony will be held for doctoral candidates at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Both ceremonies will be at the Pan American Center.
(NMSU photo by Jane Moorman)WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu

More than 1,000 students are projected to participate in the fall commencement ceremony at New Mexico State University at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Pan American Center.

Commencement activities will begin Friday, Dec. 9, with a doctoral hooding ceremony at 7 p.m. at Pan American Center. NMSU will recognize Pat and Lou Sisbarro as the honorary degree recipients during the ceremony. They will speak to the doctoral degree candidates following their hooding.

The couple own Sisbarro automobile dealerships in Las Cruces and Deming. Pat has spearheaded the establishment of NMSU Aggies Are Tough Enough to Wear Pink and the creation of the Pat and Lou Sisbarro Community Park on the NMSU campus. The couple has made two transforming gifts to NMSU - the Pat and Lou Sisbarro Current Use Fund and a substantial legacy gift.

Of the 1,408 students who are degree candidates on the Las Cruces campus, eight are associate degrees, 1,042 are bachelor's degrees, 308 are master's degrees and 50 are doctoral degrees. An additional 285 summer graduates who did not participate in the spring commencement ceremony are invited to attend this fall ceremony.

The College of Arts and Sciences has the largest class with 415 bachelor's degree recipients, while the College of Engineering has 183, the College of Business has 151, the College of Health and Social Services has 114, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences has 110 and the College of Education has 69.

Additionally, 463 associate degrees will be conferred to students graduating from NMSU Dona Ana Community College, NMSU Alamogordo, NMSU Carlsbad and NMSU Grants this fall.

Tickets are not required. The Pan American Center will open one hour prior to the ceremony. Candidates should check in east of the Pan American Center in Lot 32.

Arrowhead Drive between Triviz Drive and Stewart Street along the Pan Am will be closed for commencement. Candidates and general parking will be in the lots to the north and east of the Pan Am, with handicapped parking to the north and northeast of the building.

Media covering the event should pick up a media pass in the coordinating center tent in Lot 32, east of the Pan American Center.

For more information, visit http://commencement.nmsu.edu/.