May 18, 2013, will be a very special day for the graduates of the online educational programs at the San José State University School of Library and Information Science (SJSU SLIS). It marks a significant achievement and transition from student to information professional.

The information school’s convocation ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2013, and will be held at the Holiday Inn San José Airport in San José, California. The processional will start at 1 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Altogether, 559 students will be graduating this academic year (2012-2013), having earned their master’s degrees in library and information science and archives and records administration. In addition, this year, the school is celebrating the first individuals to complete the Post-Master’s Certificate in Library and Information Science program and the first doctoral students to graduate from the San José Gateway Ph.D. program, a part-time doctoral program offered in a partnership between SJSU SLIS and Queensland University of Technology. The information school’s newest alumni hail from 41 U.S. states and several countries, including Canada, Japan, and Bermuda.

SJSU SLIS director Dr. Sandra Hirsh, along with faculty members Dr. Patricia Franks, Dr. Linda Main, and Dr. Mary Ann Harlan, will present the candidates. In addition, graduates will be hooded by this year’s convocation speaker Donna Scheeder, who is the deputy chief information officer at the Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service. Scheeder also serves on the 18-member International Advisory Council for the SJSU information school.

In her convocation speech, Scheeder will talk about change and tradition, asking the new graduates, “Will change be your tradition?” She further explained, “I want to address the challenges that we face and the need to retain what is valuable in the traditions of our profession and still embrace wholeheartedly the new. Anyone who can do that will be successful.”

Other speakers during the graduation ceremony include Hirsh, who will emcee the event; Dr. Charles Bullock, dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at San José State University; and Shelli Owens, the recipient of the 2013 Ken Haycock Award for Exceptional Professional Promise.

Everyone is welcomed to join the celebration, including a dessert reception immediately following the convocation ceremony. Tickets are required for all guests and will be sold onsite, cash only.  

The 2013 SJSU SLIS convocation ceremony will be recorded and posted on the information school’s YouTube channel for sharing with family and friends who cannot attend the live event.

For more information about the SJSU SLIS convocation ceremony, please see: 2014 Convocation Ceremony