Business management major Logan Henry will be one of many graduating this December.

“It doesn’t really feel like I’m graduating,” Henry said.

USI helped him come out of his shell and “get out and involved,” he said.

“I stayed in my dorm a lot as a freshman,” Henry said. “Then I decided to join the AMIGOS and a few other organizations. They helped develop my networking skills.”

The campus has changed the most in his time here, he said.

“USI campus is growing, it’s alive and vibrant,” Henry said. “(The campus) is all very new now.”

“I’m tired of studying,” Henry said with a smile. “I’m so over this place right now, but I know I will miss it later.”

Fall commencement will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday in the Physical Activities Center (PAC).

In order to accommodate the increasing number of graduates, there will be two commencement ceremonies. Graduates from the College of Business and the Pott College of Science and Engineering graduates will walk at the 10 a.m. ceremony. 

Graduates from the College of Liberal Arts, Nursing and Health Professions and Outreach and Engagement will walk at the 1 p.m. ceremony.

Peggy Harrel, director of graduate studies and sponsored research, will present the reflection speech. She wants to give people something to think about, she said.

“I was inspired by an article by Cass Sunstein about group polarization,” Harrel said after returning to her office from Yoga class.

The article discussed how people tend to associate with others they already agree with, and it limits creativity and causes “less open-mindedness,” she said. 

“It’s comforting but limiting,” Harrel said. “You need to have interaction with people you disagree with. It is necessary for growth.”

Harrel was approached in October about the speech, she said. Her retirement may have something to do with the decision to have her speak, she said.

“It’s time for me to pass the mantle,” she said.

Penny White, senior administrative associate of University Relations, said there are about 500 eligible graduates this semester.

“The number of people eligible and the number of those who actually participate are two different things,” White said.

There will be 183 attending the morning ceremony, and 138 attending the afternoon. There is no deadline for graduates to sign up for commencement, White said.

“They could sign up the day before (commencement), and we wouldn’t say no,” White said. “It’s up to them whether or not they participate in commencement.”

Commencement will be the same as always, except for the special lighting that was used for the last convocation, White said.

“We want to make it look less like a gymnasium and more like an event,” White said.

The increasing attendance at USI is beginning to create a problem for the commencement ceremony in the PAC, White said.

“We’re getting close to capacity, and I don’t know what we’ll do about it,” she said.