A Guide to Fall 2023 Commencement

Hearing “Hail to the Victors” brings excitement and pride — and that’s especially true at graduation when the music ushers the newest Dearborn Wolverine alums out of the Fieldhouse and into the world as newly conferred graduates.

This fall semester UM-Dearborn will award 684 degrees during two 90-minute commencement ceremonies on Dec. 16.

The morning ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m., recognizes graduates of the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the College of Business. The afternoon ceremony, which starts at 2 p.m., celebrates graduates of the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Doors open one hour prior to start time.

Here’s more information about the Fall 2023 commencement ceremonies.

Speakers

UM-Dearborn alum Bill Anaya, ’93 B.A., will give the keynote speech to the Class of Fall 2023. With 25-plus years of global government relations experience, Anaya is the vice president of global government affairs for Coupang, a major e-commerce company that Fortune magazine called the “Amazon of Asia.”

Anaya is a CASL graduate who majored in international studies. Prior to joining Coupang, he was the Alibaba Group’s head of international government relations for the Americas, he counseled corporate clients at the international law firm of Alston & Bird and he served as the vice president of global government affairs with Motorola, where he led lobbying, public policy, political compliance and business development initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Anaya was a technology policy adviser to the late John Dingell, a former chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce. Anaya also worked with Ford Motor Company in the automaker’s government affairs and general counsel offices and served in the White House in the Office of the Chief of Staff. 

The student speaker for the two ceremonies is College of Engineering and Computer Science Fall ’23 graduate Nour Haj Salem. An international student from Tunisia, Salem is graduating with a Master of Science in computer and information science.

During her time at UM-Dearborn, Salem held several internships and research positions, and made significant contributions to major projects — including one in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and another alongside Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Foyzul Hassan. In addition to her academic pursuits, Salem volunteers with UNICEF. Prior to coming to UM-Dearborn, she served as president of a Rotary-affiliated service organization in Tunisia, where she oversaw the building of homes for unhoused families, among other efforts.

Tickets

Each graduate will receive four tickets for the ceremony; graduates do not need a ticket for themselves. If students haven’t picked up their tickets yet, they can get them at the One Stop, located in Suite 1145 of the Renick University Center. Make sure to bring a state-issued ID, passport or MCard and receipt of cap/gown purchase. One Stop hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday. Thursday hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If a student is unable to come to campus prior to commencement, email Kris Day before Dec. 8 for tickets to be placed in will call, where they can be picked up on the day of the ceremony.

Make sure to pick up or reserve tickets by Dec. 8 or they will be considered unclaimed.

So how does someone get more tickets if they have a big family or large friend group? Unclaimed tickets will be made available on a first-come first-served basis the week of Dec. 11 at the One Stop.

Staff volunteers

If you are a professional staff member who would like to volunteer at the ceremonies, please sign up no later than Wednesday, Dec. 6. Tasks include distributing will call tickets, checking in graduates, helping direct the crowd and other activities as needed throughout the ceremonies. 

Staff volunteers are needed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will receive a stipend. Volunteers who are able to  assist with both ceremonies will receive $300; people who help with one will earn $150. Lunch will be provided.

Watching the ceremony

No matter where in the world families and friends may be, they can watch the ceremonies online.

The two events will stream on Facebook Live through the university Facebook account and on UM-Dearborn’s YouTube account.

Get additional commencement information at the Fall 2023 commencement website.