The University of California Hastings College of the Law Class of 2014 Commencement ceremony will take place May 10 in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco. We are pleased to announce that University of California President Janet Napolitano will present the keynote speech.
Napolitano was named the 20th president of the University of California on July 18, 2013, and took office on Sept. 30, 2013. Since then, she has launched initiatives to stabilize tuition; enhance community college transfers; provide financial support for undocumented students to put them on equal footing as other students with respect to financial aid; achieve carbon neutrality across the UC system by 2025; enhance the pipeline of underrepresented minority students who earn advanced degrees; increase support for new and future faculty members through post-doctoral fellowships; speed translation of UC research into products and services; and improve services for student veterans; and strengthen engagement with Mexico.
UC Hastings is affiliated with the University of California, having been established as the original “law department” of the system; it also is independent, governed by its own Board of Directors.
Each year, UC Hastings selects its official commencement speaker through an inclusive process. The chancellor and dean invites the board of directors, the Foundation Trustees, the Faculty Executive Committee and the 3L Class Council to designate one to three individuals to serve as equal members on a Commencement Committee. The director of student services also serves on this important body. The committee compiles a confidential potential list of speakers, discusses them, and recommends a "short list" to the chancellor and dean for selection.
