6,700+ Graduate at Mason’s 40th Annual Commencement

The university celebrated its 40th Commencement on Saturday, May 19, in the Patriot Center. A total of 6,793 students received their degrees that day: 3,855 undergraduate, 2,509 graduate, 215 doctoral, and 214 law degrees.

Governor Timothy Kaine was this year’s Commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Two other distinguished individuals also were recognized by Mason at this year’s ceremony. Mason awarded its highest honor, the George Mason Medal, to William A. “Bill” Hazel, chairman of the board of William A. Hazel Inc. and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the George Mason University Foundation Inc., and Hortensia Cadenas, BA Spanish ’80, MA Foreign Languages ’93, director of Mason’s Early Identification Program. Cadenas is the first Mason alumna to receive the Mason Medal.

The most popular majors this year were psychology, accounting, communication, government and international politics, and information technology. The oldest graduate was 71-year-old Norman E. White, graduating with a PhD in biodefense. The youngest was 18-year-old Christian A. Yingling, receiving a BA in music.