Elder L. Whitney Clayton to preside at BYU Commencement Aug. 12 - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

Elder L. Whitney Clayton to preside at BYU Commencement Aug. 12

Brigham Young University will be holding its summer Commencement ceremonies Thursday and Friday, Aug. 12-13. The main commencement service will be held in the Marriott Center Thursday at 4 p.m., and Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the keynote speaker and presiding authority.

The services will be conducted by Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, president of BYU and a member of the Quorum of the Seventy of the Church. Representatives from the BYU Board of Trustees will be present, and BYU Alumni Association President Chris Feinauer will be speaking. Feinauer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1980 and lives in South Jordan, Utah.

Shannon Stimpson will represent the students in the ceremonies. Stimpson is an English major and graduated with a 3.98 GPA. She made the dean’s list six semesters and presented at the 2009 English Literary Conference. She is also a student editor for “Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism” published by the BYU English Department. She will be pursuing a master’s degree in English next fall.

The commencement exercises will be broadcast live on KBYU-TV (channel 11) and KBYU-FM (89.1).

Graduates will meet at 3 p.m. in the Abraham Smoot Building parking lot prior to the processional, while parents and family should be seated in the Marriott Center by 3:15 p.m. The doors at the Marriott Center will open at 2 p.m., and live coverage of the pre-commencement activities will be broadcast on the Marriott Center screens. The graduate processional will begin at 3:20 p.m., weather permitting.

All faculty members are invited to march in the processional at 3:15 p.m. Faculty should be on either the east or west side of the Abraham Smoot Building by 3:10 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, graduates and faculty should go directly to the Marriott Center by 3:45 p.m. Line marshals will direct faculty to reserved chair seating on the playing floor.

Most campus offices will close Thursday at 2:30 p.m. to accommodate the services.

Members of the BYU community are reminded that no parking will be available from midnight until 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Lot 1A north of the Abraham Smoot Building and in a small portion of the timed parking in Lot 2A north of the Museum of Art. Vehicles parked in those locations during those hours will be towed.

BYU’s Army ROTC will be holding its commissioning ceremonies Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m. in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center on the third floor. Brig. Gen. Jefferson S. Burton will be speaking at the ceremonies. Burton is the assistant adjutant general for the Army branch of the Utah National Guard. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is a graduate of BYU ROTC.

President Samuelson will be hosting the “Meet the President” event Friday. Graduates and their parents are invited to meet the president and his wife Sharon at the Hinckley Center Assembly Hall from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Individual convocations for the university colleges Friday are as follows:

8-10:30 a.m.

  • Life Sciences – Marriott Center
  • Education – Smith Fieldhouse
  • David M. Kennedy Center – Joseph Smith Building Auditorium
  • Physical and Mathematical Sciences – Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom
  • Fine Arts and Communications – de Jong Concert Hall

11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

  • Humanities – Marriott Center
  • Engineering and Technology – Smith Fieldhouse
  • Nursing – Joseph Smith Building Auditorium

2-4:30 p.m.

  • Family, Home and Social Sciences (including School of Family Life) – Marriott Center

5-7:30 p.m.

  • Marriott School of Management – Marriott Center

For more information, visit saas.byu.edu/registrar/graduation/.

Writer: Brandon Garrett

orig_Clayton_LW1.jpg
Photo by Kenny Crookston/BYU Photo

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Rethinking sugar: BYU study shows food source is key to understanding diabetes risk

May 27, 2025
A recent BYU study shows that not all dietary sugars carry the same risks. In the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of its kind, BYU researchers—in collaboration with researchers from Germany-based institutions—found that the type and source of sugar may matter far more than previously thought.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU researchers show social connection is still underappreciated as a medically relevant health factor

May 22, 2025
Despite mounting evidence that social connection is vital to physical health, new BYU research shows most people, including doctors, still underestimate its importance.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU’s 2025 awards season honors student standouts

May 15, 2025
Rise and shout! Across various disciplines, BYU students have been recognized for their world-class accomplishments.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=