UMT Holds 2016 US Commencement Ceremony

Date: 2016 June 18 (Sat)
Time: 9:30am to 12:00pm
Location: Washington D.C., USA

TThe University of Management and Technology held its 2016 commencement ceremony and reception on June 18, at the Spectrum Theatre in Arlington, VA. UMT alumni who graduated in the past five years were invited. Close to 200 participants from the US and overseas attended. During the ceremony, graduate representatives, Mr. Thomas Hoyt III. and Dr. Hun-Hsien Su shared their personal stories. Dr. Yanping Chen, Dr. David Burke and Dr. J. Davidson Frame also delivered speeches on behalf of the University and faculty.

Mr. Hoyt, who joined the military after graduating from high school, started pursuing higher education with UMT after retiring from the Air Force while still working as a full-time contractor. Now a holder of a Bachelor and a Master Degree in Information Technology, he used his story to encourage fellow students and graduates: "Don't let life happen to you but instead make life happen for you!"

Dr. Su shared a story which involved struggling through an unexpected flight delay, dead cellphone battery & heavy city traffic to get Dr. Frame to a keynote speech on time in Taipei. After conquering the initial panic emotionally, he was able to successfully complete the task. He concluded that, "When life gives us unexpected challenging projects, [...] we have to learn to manage ourselves before we can take on bigger projects to manage, so that we will not be thrown off-guard by unexpected challenges."

Dr. David Burke, who spoke on behalf of UMT faculty, thanked the UMT learning community for giving him the opportunity to help the younger generation and in turn to learn from them while holding a successful Engineering Management career outside of UMT. He challenged the UMT graduates to help others after succeeding in their educational and career goals, because "[..] after you’ve reached these goals, you will feel another desire, a desire to give back, to help other people succeed."

Dr. Chen, UMT's founder and President, reviewed the university’s achievements over the past 18 years since it was founded in 1998. She also announced UMT's intent to develop a strong UMT alumni community which will enable graduates to network professionally, socially and educationally.

Dr. J. Davidson Frame, UMT co-founder and Academic Dean, explained to the students that the graduation ceremony is called a commencement because having earned new degrees, students can commence moving on to the next stage of their careers. He also thanked all the family and friends who gave support to the graduates to reach their educational goal.

At the conclusion of the ceremony and reception, the graduates gathered at the Iwo Jima Memorial for a group photograph.

Pictures from the event can be reviewed by visiting: https://goo.gl/photos/svTLFsTsqEKvXN2B8 or UMT Connect Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/umtconnect.

Video from the event can be found at: https://youtu.be/bvCEED3gNSU.

Presentations shown during the event are online at:

UMT Students: https://youtu.be/Hb6iLNlShr4
UMT in Action: https://youtu.be/sNIFfi7dA14

The University of Management and Technology, a DEAC accredited university, offers over 30 bachelors to doctorate degree and certificate programs with 40 disciplines to choose from, such as business administration, criminal justice, and homeland security. Up to 75% of undergraduate and 50% of graduate credits may be transferred. 100% online instruction and affordable. Flexible enrollment options include self-paced or term-based classes. Federal Student Aid, Sallie Mae Loans and University Military Scholarships are available for eligible students.

As of the end of June 2016, the UMT graduating class of 2016 is comprised of 1,132 graduates who have earned degrees at the associate, bachelor, master and doctoral levels. Since 1998, 19,087 students coming from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 4 US territories, the US Military around the world, and 77 countries have enrolled in UMT degree programs. A total of 10,710 have earned degrees.