Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Celebrates 100,000 Alumni Living in Maryland
Adelphi, Md. (Dec. 7, 2022)—̹½ÊÓÆµ (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ) has announced Winter Grad Walk 2022, an in-person and online experience designed to place the spotlight directly on graduates and their achievements while helping protect the health and safety of their guests and the university community. Of the university’s 7,619 winter graduates from around the world, more than 2,200 have registered to attend the stateside ceremonies.
During winter commencement, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ will celebrate another milestone: surpassing 100,000 in the number of alumni living in Maryland. The university has selected several graduates who hail from Maryland to serve as #Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµgrad Social Media Ambassadors, spreading the word about the milestone and other commencement activities. (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµâ€™s global alumni community currently totals more than 275,000 worldwide.)Ìý
Winter Grad Walk 2022 will take place at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center Dec. 16–18, with graduates selecting from multiple time slots over the three days to cross the stage and receive individual recognition. Ìý
Special features of Winter Grad Walk 2022 include:
Each graduate’s name will be called as they cross a formal commencement stage in regalia 
Family members and friends can cheer their graduate from a viewing area directly in front of the stage 
Professional photographers will be on site to take individual portraits as each graduate crosses the stage 
Each graduate will receive a video clip of themselves crossing the stage to keep as a memento and share online 
Graduates can also commemorate their achievements with family and friends in a special Celebration Zone, where they can meet Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ faculty, staff, and representatives and purchase Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Alumni apparel, gear and other mementos.
A special website has been created for the stateside winter class of 2022 that includes an on-demand ceremony with presentations by speakers, the formal conferral of degrees by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ President Gregory W. Fowler, a keynote address by Maryland Delegate Jazz Lewis, and remarks by student speaker Mohomed Babiker, as well as an online “Gallery of Graduatesâ€� showcasing graduates’ personalized recognition slides that can be shared via social media or e-mail.
Graduates have received a mailed Grad Pack containing Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ ‘swag’ to help jump-start the festivities. They are encouraged to share their achievements with fellow graduates via social media using #Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµGrad. Ìý
A profile of the Winter 2022 graduates:Ìý
Number of graduates: 7,619Ìý
Average age: 35Ìý
Oldest graduate: 79Ìý
Youngest graduate: 18Ìý
Graduates come from all 50 states, five U.S territories and 18 countriesÌý
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Degrees awarded:Ìý
Associate: 1,290Ìý
Bachelor’s: 4,359Ìý
Master’s: 1,948ÌýÌý
Doctorate: 23Ìý
About Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ
Celebrating over 75 years of excellence, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ) provides higher education and support services for working adults and the military.Ìý
Founded in 1947 to serve working adults and the military community, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ established itself as a global university by being the first institution to send professors overseas to educate active-duty servicemembers in Europe in 1949. In the mid-1990s, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ became a pioneer in online education and has grown to become the largest public university in the nation.Ìý
Today, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ enrolls more than 90,000 students annually, making it the largest public university in the United States. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ also serves students at more than 175 locations worldwide and offers more than 125 programs, including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs and undergraduate and graduate certificates.