May 2, 2005

Actress Sela Ward to Speak as UA Commencement in Bryant-Denny Stadium to be Shown Live on Web

Sela Ward

UA will celebrate both May and August commencements Friday and Saturday, May 6-7, holding the ceremonies in Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time in decades. The ceremonies will also be shown live on the Web from links on UA's homepage. The Webcasts will be archived for future viewing.

Award-winning actress and UA alumna Sela Ward will give the commencement address. Ward, best known for her award-winning portrayals as Lily Sammler on "Once and Again" and Teddy Reed on "Sisters," is a 1977 graduate of UA's College of Communication and Information Sciences. She received two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for her work on "Once and Again" and "Sisters."

Commencement will include four separate ceremonies, all in Bryant-Denny Stadium due to renovations in Coleman Coliseum. The ceremony for the Graduate School will be Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m. Two undergraduate ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Law School graduation will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7. Ward will speak at both undergraduate ceremonies. "Having the ceremony in Bryant-Denny Stadium — one of the best known landmarks on our campus — will make this Commencement particularly memorable," said Dr. Judy Bonner, UA provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Ward has additional television credits including "Double Jeopardy," "Killer Rules," appearances on "L.A. Law," "Night Court," and "Saturday Night Live"; her film credits include "The Day After Tomorrow," "Havana Nights," "The Fugitive," and others.

In 2002, Ward released her first book, Homesick, which appeared on The New York Times bestseller list. Part inspirational story, part memoir, the book tells Ward's quest for a balance of the comforts of her small-town childhood and her big city way of life.

For more information on the Commencement schedule and the alternative plans in case severe weather prohibits an outdoor ceremony, go to http://www.ua.edu/commencement.

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