Undergraduate students completing their degrees in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Colorado State University will turn their tassels and become alumni at the commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11. The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. at Moby Arena. Graduate students should check out the Graduate School website to find out more about their separate ceremony on Friday, May 10.
Students attending the undergraduate ceremony are required to check-in and line up starting at 4 p.m. Students can find more information at the general instructions page.
General information
Tickets
Because of space limitations in Moby Arena, this will be a ticketed event. All CHHS students whose anticipated graduation term is Spring or Summer 2024 will have access to seven tickets to share with guests. Students who are graduating will not need tickets to participate in their ceremony but are responsible for distributing the digital tickets to their guests and are encouraged to do so before the day of the ceremony. Students received email instructions to claim and distribute their guest tickets.
All tickets are general admission. Any persons two years of age and older must have a ticket to enter the venue. Younger than two years may enter without a ticket as a lap child, resting on an adult’s lap for the duration of the ceremony.
Doors will open to Moby Arena at 4 p.m. There is no assigned seating in Moby Arena. The first two rows will be marked for guests with limited mobility (plus one guest). There will be wheelchair seating on the east and west sides. Guests who will benefit from the sign language interpreters at the event will have the best view in section P.
Parking
The Moby Arena Parking Lot offers free parking on weekends. More information on parking and a map of parking locations can be found at CSU’s Commencement Page.
Bags
Students and guests will be required to go through metal detectors at all entrances to Moby Arena. Students and guests are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Clear Bag Policy, in effect for all ceremonies taking place at Moby Arena. The Clear Bag Policy states that most bags and purses, except for clear bags and purses approximately the size of a hand, are prohibited .
Online webcast and program
Guests may also watch a livestream of the ceremony online. See CSU’s commencement website to access the program before the ceremony. Visit the College’s Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram pages for ceremony photos, and follow us to keep in touch! The webcast will also be archived and posted for viewing a few days after the ceremony on the commencement website.
To congratulate your graduates on Facebook or Instagram, use hashtags #RamGrad and #CSUClassOf2024.
Featured Speakers
Colorado State University System Board of Governors Secretary Betsy Markey will confer the degrees and deliver remarks to the graduates. In addition, Provost Marion Underwood and Dean Lise Youngblade will share congratulatory remarks.
Charge to the Class: Ray Jackson (B.A., social work, ’99)
The Charge to the Class will be delivered by Ray Jackson, vice president of player development for the Denver Broncos, who earned his degree from the college’s School of Social Work in 1999.
Jackson, who grew up in Denver and graduated from Montbello High School, aligned his athletic skills with his academic drive to aim for higher education. A standout on the Rams football team, he graduated as the program’s all-time leader in career interceptions (21). As a senior in 1995, he was named First-Team All-Western Athletic Conference and was selected to the prestigious AFCA Good Works Team. Jackson was drafted into the National Football League after his senior season at CSU, with graduation just a few credits away. He kept the academic goalpost in sight and completed his CSU degree in 1999 while playing in the NFL. He was inducted into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Jackson was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. He was a cornerback for six NFL seasons with Buffalo (1996-98) and Cleveland (1999-2001). In 2002, Jackson began his post-playing career as the assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Browns. Jackson spent 10 seasons (2005-14) as the director of player development for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he implemented the organization’s Career Transition Program and coordinated the Club Life Skills Seminar.
In 2015, Jackson moved back to Colorado to join the Denver Broncos leadership team. Jackson is now entering his ninth year with the Denver Broncos—third as vice president of player development—and his 22nd season overall working in the NFL. Jackson has been part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. In his role as vice president of player development, Jackson spearheads the Broncos’ off-the-field training and education for players through various club- and league-supported initiatives. He also facilitates several other support programs aimed at maximizing players’ potential and ability to achieve their goals on and off the field. Jackson credits social work – his degree and calling – as the core of his success in supporting players.
Jackson and his wife, Natalie, have five children as well as four grandchildren. He serves on the CSU College of Health and Human Sciences Executive Leadership Council.
Outstanding senior: Rachel Washburn
Rachel Washburn, the recipient of the college’s Outstanding Senior Award, will be the student speaker. Washburn is graduating magna cum laude with a B.S. in health and exercise science and a minor in gerontology. She has applied her interest in human aging to tailor her Honors thesis to focus
on healthy aging and to serve as a research assistant on a federally funded project aimed at empowering grandparents raising grandchildren.
As president of the CSU Gerontology Club, Washburn has been the driving force behind innovative community initiatives, significantly enhancing aging education and fostering invaluable intergenerational connections. Washburn’s research excellence, dedication to community service, and academic achievement position her for continued success as she pursues her Occupational Therapy Doctorate at CSU. Learn more about Washburn on the College Awards page.
Other ceremony details
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Jennifer Aberle will emcee the event, and welcome guests and students to the ceremony with the CSU Brass Quintet processional playing of “Pomp and Circumstance.” The Wing Walker Honor Guard will present the colors and Mainstreet A Capella will perform the National Anthem.
Students who are members of honorary societies and the University Honors Program will be acknowledged by Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Michelle Foster.
Each student in attendance will cross the stage for individual recognition and congratulations by university, college, and unit leaders. Allison Hughes (’09) will welcome the new graduates to the CSU Alumni Association.
For more information, visit the College of Health and Human Sciences commencement webpage.
