HSI holds symbolic ceremony before honoring more than 1,000 students at fall commencement

 

POSTED ON Dec 27, 2022

 

West Texas A&M University announced that more that 50 students took part in a special pre-commencement ceremony on Dec. 9. According to WT, the Donning of the Stoles ceremony is a tradition on WT’s Canyon Campus. Stoles — often serape or kente cloth — are selected by the students to reflect their heritage and culture.

During the Donning of the Stoles, parents, family members or friends place a stole on their graduate and express what the student means to them, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Angela Allen said in a statement.

On December 10, more than a thousand students received their diplomas in two West Texas A&M University’s commencement ceremonies, which were held inside the First United Bank Center in Canyon. Each ceremony lasted up to two hours.

The College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the College of Education and Social Sciences kicked off the 10 a.m. ceremony. Students from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, College of Engineering, and the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities took part in the 2 p.m. ceremony.

“These graduates have worked hard for years to get to this point,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler. “We are proud of their dedication and contributions. WT is proud to produce quality students who are ready to meet the workforce needs of the Panhandle and beyond.”

WT has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990, and a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016. The university has an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. According to the WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World Generational Plan, the university plans to attain doctoral status in the Carnegie classifications of universities by 2035.