Date: Friday, May 17, 2013
Time: 3:30pm
Commencement lasts about two hours, and is immediately followed by an informal reception in an adjacent quad.
Location: Dickson Court North
Keynote Speaker: Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis was first elected to public office in 1985 as a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees. She served in the California State Assembly from 1992 to 1994, and in 1994 made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the California State Senate. As chair of the California Senate Industrial Relations Committee, she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996. She also authored a record seventeen state laws aimed at combating domestic violence. Solis was subsequently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where she served from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California, including portions of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. In Congress, Solis’ priorities included expanding access to affordable health care, protecting the environment, and improving the lives of working families. A recognized leader on clean energy jobs, she authored the Green Jobs Act which provided funding for “green” collar job training for veterans, displaced workers, at risk youth, and individuals in families under 200 percent of the federal poverty line. In 2009, Solis was appointed by President Barack Obama as Secretary of Labor and served in that position until January 2013. As Secretary of Labor, Solis was known for her stricter enforcement of job safety regulations and more aggressive pursuit of wage and hour violators.
Solis is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. A former federal employee, she worked in the Carter White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and was later appointed as a management analyst with the Office of Management and Budget in the Civil Rights Division.
A nationally recognized leader on the environment, Solis is the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000 for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues. Her California environmental justice legislation, enacted in 1999, was the first of its kind in the nation to become law.
GUEST SEATING
Tickets are not required. There is usually sufficient seating available for all of your family and friends and there is unlimited standing room. However, we recommend early arrival in order to secure seats in the shade, especially if your guests are sun-sensitive.
ATTIRE
Commencement is held outdoors, in Dickson Court North (adjacent to Perloff Hall) so hats, visors, water, and the use of sun-block are highly recommended. Umbrellas and balloons will not be permitted as they will block the view of others.
CAMPUS FACILITIES AVAILABLE ON COMMENCEMENT DAY
The law building will be open from 10:00am to 7:00pm. Flowers will be available on Commencement day at a stand located near Dickson Court North. On Commencement day, Jimmy’s Coffeehouse at LuValle Commons will be open from 7:00am to 6:00pm. LuValle Store will be open from 7:30am to 5:30pm.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Many nearby hotels offer UCLA Commencement-related discounts. For a list of nearby hotels, visit the UCLA Commencement website. For reservations or information about the UCLA Guest House, call (310) 206-3751 or visit http://www.guesthouse.ucla.edu/. Please note that we do not investigate, endorse, or guarantee any of the hotels or motels mentioned.
PARKING
Parking is typically available in Parking Lot 2 and Lot 3 for a $11 charge per vehicle (amount subject to change). In order to purchase a daily permit, ask for directions, or to resolve any parking-related issues, please visit the parking information kiosks located on the corners of Hilgard and Westholme and Hilgard and Wyton. You will then be directed to either Parking Lot 2 or 3. From Parking Lot 2, walk north on Charles E. Young Drive toward the law school until you reach Dickson Court North, to the left of Dodd Hall. From Parking Lot 3, walk south on Charles E. Young Drive toward the law school until you reach Dickson Court North located next to Dodd Hall.
Click here to view an interactive campus map. You will find the law building in the top right corner.
GUESTS WITH DISABILITIES
A $4 parking permit will be available for disabled persons with valid DMV-issued disabled placards (red or blue) in Dickson Plaza. Guests without disabled placards but who are elderly and/or mobility-impaired may purchase vehicle permits for a $11 charge per vehicle (amount subject to change) in Dickson Plaza. Parking for disabled or elderly persons is also available in Lot A, which is behind Murphy Hall. The entrance is just past the Faculty Center on Charles E. Young Drive. Inform the attendant at the Westholme parking kiosk that special parking is needed, and s/he will direct the vehicle to the appropriate gate.
A sign language interpreter will be provided.
