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Commencement

College of Liberal Arts

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College of Liberal Arts

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College of Liberal Arts

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Department of Economics Commencement-Tickets Required

Students: Please check your UT EID email for official communication from the Department and University.
Questions: Send inquiries to ecocommencement@austin.utexas.edu.

CEREMONY DETAILS
BA Ceremony: 8am-10am | BS Ceremony: 11:30am-1:30pm
Saturday, May 9, 2026 | Gregory Gym | Speaker- Scott Cohen
Live Stream: Link  (same for both ceremonies)| Recording: Video Download
Program: Single Page | Booklet | COLA Program

Gregory Gym doors will open at 7:30am for the BA ceremony and 11am for the BS/Grad ceremony.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: STEPS TO GRAUDATE
To participate in Spring Commencement, current semester graduates must apply to graduate, fall 25 and summer 26 graduates must apply to “walk”. See details here: Steps for Commencement.

TICKETS

  • Each graduate will receive a maximum of 4 tickets for guests to attend the ceremony.
  • Tickets can be claimed by graduates when they RSVP via their Tassel emails.
  • Additional tickets may become available closer to the ceremony date. An additional email will be sent at that time with a link to claim extra tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

CEREMONY DETAILS

Economics Ceremony: Details will be available in early spring.
University-Wide Ceremony: Commencement Site

  • No ticket is required.  
  • Undergraduate students will earn Bachelor of Arts degree or Bachelor of Science in Economics degree.
  • Students will be individually recognized as they walk across the stage.
  • All Liberal Arts majors are read for each student.
  • Graduate students will participate in the Economics’ commencement ceremony instead of the Graduate School Ceremony.
  • A professional photographer will take pictures of students as they cross the stage.
  • Please mute phones during the procession and ceremony.

ECONOMICS CEREMONY

University-Wide Ceremony: For details about the university-wide ceremony, please go to their UT commencement site.

  • No ticket is required.  
  • Please arrive at Gregory Gym at 8am using the entrance on the ground floor of Speedway to check in for line-up.
  • Undergraduate students will earn Bachelor of Arts degrees.
  • Students will be individually recognized as they walk across the stage.
  • All Liberal Arts majors are read for each student.
  • A professional photographer will take pictures of students as they cross the stage.
  • Do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony.
  • Please mute phones during the procession and ceremony.

More details will be available in early spring. 

 

College of Liberal Arts

Scott Cohen

Keynote Speaker: Scott Cohen

Commencement Speech: PDF

A proud graduate of UT’s Class of 1993, Scott has built his career on thoughtful leadership, long-term perspective, and service to others.

In 2014, Scott founded CD Wealth Management, which today oversees more than $1.5 billion in assets under management through a highly personalized, relationship-focused approach. The firm has been recognized multiple times by the Dallas Business Journal as a Best Place to Work, and Scott has earned annual recognition on Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list and inclusion in Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors.

Beyond his professional work, mentorship has become a defining extension of Scott’s leadership. He believes early exposure to real-world responsibility accelerates confidence, clarity, and leadership.

Scott works closely with students in the Department of Economics and across the College of Liberal Arts, offering career guidance and industry perspective to students from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. Through CD Wealth Management and Kestra Financial, he established structured internship programs in partnership with the University that have placed more than 20 UT students in hands-on professional roles, creating a deliberate pathway from the classroom to meaningful professional opportunities.

He remains deeply engaged with the University, serving on the UT Economics Advisory Committee, UT Development Board, the Liberal Arts Advisory Council, and the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council. In addition, he mentors Silver Spurs members and alumni, advises Zeta Beta Tau, and has established two endowed scholarships — one in the College of Education and one supporting Economics students in the College of Liberal Arts.

In Dallas, Scott has been an active leader and volunteer for many years, including serving as Chairman of the Board at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center from 2013 to 2015. He has spent two decades as co-chair of the center’s annual golf tournament, helping raise more than $3 million for programs serving children and seniors. He and his wife Barbi served as event chairs of the 2025 Hope for Humanity dinner benefiting the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, raising $1.9 million in support of its mission to advance education and human dignity.

He has held advisory and philanthropic roles for the Parish Episcopal School, the Shelton School, and the Da Vinci School in Dallas, as well as serving on the Chancellor’s Parent Leadership Council at the University of Denver.

Scott is devoted to his family and enjoys making memories and spending quality time with Barbi and their three daughters: Kacey (UT, ’23), Ella and Olivia, a rising junior at UT. He is honored to return to the Forty Acres to celebrate the achievements of this year’s graduates and to encourage the next generation of Longhorn leaders.

  • Regalia

    Regalia FAQs

    Graduating students are required to wear Academic Regalia. 

    • Undergraduates: Please order your regalia at the University Co-Op by April 17. The tassel and stole color is white.
    • Masters: Regalia is available for loan. Please contact Kristen Hotopp for additional information.
    • Doctorates: Please order your regalia at the University Co-Op. Rental orders must be placed by March 6.

     

  • Students
    • Arrival times: BA Ceremony: 7am | BS Ceremony: 10:30am
    • Please arrive at Gregory Gym using the entrance on the ground floor of Speedway to check in for line-up.
    • Undergraduate students will earn Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.
    • Students will be individually recognized as they walk across the stage.
    • All Liberal Arts majors are read for each student.
    • A professional photographer will take pictures of students as they cross the stage.
    • Do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony

     

    UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
    To participate in Spring Commencement, current semester graduates must apply to graduate, fall 25 and summer 26 graduates must apply to “walk”. See details here: Steps for Commencement.

    If you have already applied to graduate/walk, you can check your “walk list” status here: walk list status.

    For questions about your eligibility to participate in the Economics ceremony, reach out to Jana Cole at jana@austin.utexas.edu.

    GRADUATE STUDENTS
    Economics graduate students will participate in the Department of Economics’ commencement ceremony instead of the Graduate School Ceremony. For questions, please contact your program coordinator:

  • Family & Guests

    Gregory Gym doors will opening times: Tickets are required. Families will be allowed entry at 7:30am and 11am. 

    Live Stream: The ceremony will also stream live online on May 9. Link is the same for both ceremonies.
    BA Ceremony Time: 8am
    BS & Graduate Ceremony Time: 11:30am 

    Please do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony. Please note: Only clear bags will be allowed into the ceremony.  

    PARKING
    Map: PDF

    MOBILITY IMPAIRED GUESTS

    Seating: There will be an ADA area in the Gregory Auditorium.  Seating is first come, first serve.  Visitors, who need accommodations, are able to sit with one guest.

    Parking: There are ADA parking spaces in Brazos Garage. Please check back for additional details. 

  • University Ceremony

    Saturday, May 9,  2026 |  Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

    The university-wide Commencement ceremony is held annually in May, recognizing the graduates from the current academic year. For more details, please visit the UT-wide Commencement page. 

     

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
To participate in Spring Commencement, current semester graduates must apply to graduate, fall 22 and summer 23 graduates must apply to “walk”. See details here: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/undergraduate-students/graduation/.

If you have already applied to graduate/walk, you can check your “walk list” status here: walk list status.

For questions about your eligibility to participate in the Economics ceremony, reach out to Jana Cole at jana@austin.utexas.edu.

GRADUATE STUDENTS
Economics graduate students will participate in the Department of Economics’ commencement ceremony instead of the Graduate School Ceremony. For questions, please contact your program coordinator:

REGALIA

Graduating students are required to wear Academic Regalia. 

  • Undergraduates: Please order your regalia at the University Co-Op by April 14. The tassel and stole color is white.
  • Masters: Regalia is available for loan. Please contact Kristen Hotopp for additional information.
  • Doctorates: Please order your regalia at the University Co-Op. Rental orders must be placed by March 31.

Regalia FAQs

CEREMONY

  • Please arrive at Gregory Gym at 8am using the entrance on the ground floor of Speedway to check in for line-up.
  • Undergraduate students will earn Bachelor of Arts degrees.
  • Students will be individually recognized as they walk across the stage.
  • All Liberal Arts majors are read for each student.
  • A professional photographer will take pictures of students as they cross the stage.
  • Do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony.
  • Please mute phones during the procession and ceremony.

Gregory Gym doors will open at 8:30am for family, friends, and guests. No ticket is required.  

Live Stream: The ceremony will also stream live online, starting at approximately 9am on May 6. A streaming link will be made available at a later date.

Please do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony. Please note: Only clear bags will be allowed into the ceremony.  

PARKING

Parking at the San Jacinto Garage at 2401 San Jacinto Blvd. is generally recommended. Getting out of Brazos Garage after the ceremony ends can be incredibly difficult due to heavy traffic on MLK Blvd. Please also refer to UT's Visitor parking information. Additional parking information will be available at a later date.

MOBILITY IMPAIRED GUESTS

Seating: There will be an ADA area in the Gregory Auditorium.  Seating is first come, first serve.  Visitors, who need accomodations, are able to sit with one guest.

Parking: There are ADA parking spaces in Brazos Garage.  However, guests can be dropped of near the Gregory Auditorium.  Please refer to the map for the drop-off location. 

RECEPTION

A reception will take place immediately following the ceremony outside of the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Building.  You and your guests are invited to attend.

Saturday, May 6, 2023 | 7:30pm | Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

After individual recognition in college and school convocations, degree candidates from all disciplines come together at the Tower for the university-wide commencement ceremony.

EVENT DETAILS

Tickets are required for graduating students and guests attending the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony. Graduates require a specific graduate ticket in order to participate in the procession and be seated on the field. Ticket information will be sent out to graduation students around April 24. 

GUEST TICKETS

  1. To reserve your tickets, please go the event link. Please note: Tickets will not be available until after April 24th.  
  2. Select "Find Tickets".
  3. Scroll to the bottom.  Select the desired number of tickets.  Add the tickets to the cart and check out. 
  4. You can reserve up to 15 tickets per visit 

Reminders

  • Graduating students are required to wear Academic Regalia.
  • Graduating students will not be individually recognized at this ceremony.
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University Wide Text details-updates for the accordian section (waiting on Kate to provide additional details).

Tickets are required for graduating students and guests attending the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony. Graduates require a specific graduate ticket in order to participate in the procession and be seated on the field. Ticket information will be sent out to graduation students in April. 

STUDENT TICKETS
Students must present a ticket to access the graduate seating area. Tickets are free of charge. 

Instructions

  1. The student must selcet the appropriate program link.  
  2. On the event page, the student needs to enter their EID in the “Enter Promotional Code”.

Program links: Undergraduate | Masters | Doctoral

For more instructions and details about student tickets, please go to the UT-Wide Commencement ticket page. 

GUEST TICKETS
Tickets are not required for guests. Seating is first come, first serve. 

Reminders

  • Graduating students are required to wear Academic Regalia.
  • Graduating students will not be individually recognized at this ceremony.

Archive: Family & Guest details

Gregory Gym doors will open at 8:30am for family, friends, and guests. Tickets are required

Live Stream: The ceremony will also stream live online, starting at approximately 9am on May 10. A streaming link will be made available at a later date.

Please do not bring valuable personal belongings, such as purses and backpacks, to the ceremony. Please note: Only clear bags will be allowed into the ceremony.  

PARKING

Please see map. 

MOBILITY IMPAIRED GUESTS

Seating: There will be an ADA area in the Gregory Auditorium.  Seating is first come, first serve.  Visitors, who need accomodations, are able to sit with one guest.

Parking: There are ADA parking spaces in Brazos Garage. Please check back for additional details. 

RECEPTION

A reception will take place immediately following the ceremony outside of the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Building.  You and your guests are invited to attend.


Archive

2025

Speaker: Suzy Monford: Bio | Speech | Video Download
Program: Single Page | Booklet

2024

Speaker: Tony C. Budet: Bio | Speech | Video Download
Program: Single Page | Booklet | COLA Program

2023

Speaker: Traci Lovitt:  Bio | Speech | Video Download
Program: Single Page | Booklet | COLA Program

2022

Speaker Dr. Julia Coronado:  Bio | Speech | Video Download
Program: Booklet 

2021-No Ceremony