Vanderbilt Commencement 2012

The 2011-2012 academic year at Vanderbilt officially came to a close on Friday with the 2012 Commencement festivities. Whitney D. stopped by the campus to capture photos of players from the men's and women's basketball teams on the special day.

Vanderbilt's tradition of holding commencement exercises outside is often thwarted by rain or excessive heat, but fortune smiled on the class of 2012 and their families. Sunny skies and cool temperatures combined for very pleasant weather for the ceremonies. Old-timers said that it was the best ever graduation day weather.



Before the ceremony all candidates for degrees, including graduate and professional students as well as graduating seniors, line up alphabetically in designated locations.




Festus Ezeli and Trey DelGreco (men's golf)




Lance Goulbourne, Emily Grant (soccer), and Jeff Gendelman (football)




Jordan Smart, Steve Tchiengang, Brad Tinsley




Jordan Coleman




Aaron Noll




At 9 a.m. the lines begin to move, with students from the different colleges all converging onto Alumni Lawn.




After the students have taken their places in the assembly seating, the faculty, administration, and Board of Trust follow.




Vice Chancellor David Williams







The main ceremony on Alumni Lawn includes candidates for all degrees. After the traditional honors, the commencement address and the conferring of degrees, the graduate and professional students depart for various locations across campus.

One of those locations is the lawn of Peabody College, Vanderbilt's College of Education, where graduate students in the #1-ranked graduate school of the education in the United States receive their diplomas.










2010 graduate Jessica Mooney received her Master of Education degree with a speciality in Community Development and Action.




Candice Storey Lee first became a student at Vanderbilt in August 1996 when she was a freshman on the women's basketball team. Since then, she's worn a number of hats in the athletics program at Vanderbilt, including Compliance Director and Senior Women's Administrator while simultaneously working to complete a doctorate degree in education. On Friday her student days officially came to an end as she received her Doctor of Education degree.

Congratulations to all!

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Photos copyright 2012 by Whitney D. for VandyMania.com