Senator Al Franken will be the commencement speaker at UMD’s combined baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral ceremonies on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at Amsoil Arena, 350 Harbor Drive.
The schedule is as follows: 10 a.m. – Graduates and undergraduates from the College of Education and Human Service Professions, the School of Fine Arts, and the College of Liberal Arts. Lineup begins at 9 a.m. in Pioneer Hall. 599 graduates and undergraduates are participating in the 10 a.m. ceremony.
3 p.m. – Graduates and undergraduates from the Labovitz School of Business and Economics and the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. Lineup begins at 2 p.m. in Pioneer Hall. 719 graduates and undergraduates are participating in the 3 p.m. ceremony.
The commencement ceremonies will open with the MA'IIN'GAN Singers, a traditional Ojibwe Drum group. The UMD Symphonic Wind Ensemble will accompany the ceremonies.
About Senator Al Franken
U.S. Senator Al Franken was born on May 21, 1951, and grew up in St. Louis Park, Minn. In 1973, he graduated from Harvard, where he met his wife Franni. They've been married for 40 years, and have two grown children, Thomasin and Joe.
Before running for the Senate, Al spent 37 years as a comedy writer, author, and radio talk show host and has taken part in seven USO tours, visiting our troops overseas in Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Uzbekistan-as well as visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait four times.
First elected to the Senate in 2008, and re-elected in 2014, he currently sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; the Judiciary Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Committee on Indian Affairs.