The spring 2023 commencement ceremony, the third for the university’s 38th president Brad Smith, will be held throughout the day on April 29.

The ceremony will be divided into two services, one at 9:00 a.m. and another at 2:00 p.m. for different colleges, with roughly 800 students of the 1330 graduating attending the ceremony.

Students don’t have to attend commencement to earn their degree, but the commencement ceremony is a traditional part of the college experience.

The ceremony will take place at the Mountain Health Arena on Third Avenue, formerly the Big Sandy Arena. Visitors can use the university shuttle bus, also referred to as “The Green Machine,” to get to and from the event.

The university stresses that graduates who are late to the event could be subject to removal from the ceremony, with the expected arrival time being 8:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.

John Donahoe, president and CEO of Nike Inc., is set to be the keynote speaker.

Smith called Donahoe a “Titan of Industry’ and “a visionary” upon announcing the speaker on March 14.

“His business acumen is top tier, and his daily actions at Nike show he genuinely cares for people, the planet and community success,” Smith said.

Donahoe, a Dartmouth College and Stanford School of Business graduate, has served on Nike’s board of directors since 2014 and was selected to become the CEO on Jan. 13, 2020. Previously, he led companies including eBay, PayPal and ServiceNow in various positions.