One student makes a reference to the TV show “The Office” on her graduation cap at Autumn Commencement on Dec. 18, 2016.
Add it to the record books: Ohio State’s 2017 Autumn Commencement class is the largest in the university’s history, with 3,721 degrees to be given Sunday.
The previous Autumn class in 2016 had a total of 3,664, breaking previous records.
This year continues the trend of Ohio State making history for its class sizes — both incoming and graduating. The class of 2021 is the largest in university history with 7,136 accepted to the Columbus campus, which was announced months after Ohio State’s largest class of 11,734 students graduated in May.
The graduating classes might only increase in size, for 59,000 students are enrolled this year.
To meet the demand that comes with such a large graduating class, the university announced a new ticket requirement for Autumn Commencement this fall, requiring students to make an online reservation to receive commencement tickets for friends and family.
All students who applied to graduate by Nov. 27 were granted four tickets, with the option to apply for four additional tickets. The tickets are free, and there will not be assigned seats; it will be first-come, first-served.
Autumn Commencement will be held 2 p.m. Sunday at the Schottenstein Center. Republican Sen. Rob Portman will deliver the keynote address.
The university will award an honorary degree to Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, according to a university release. The fund seeks to provide a voice for children — particularly poor kids, children of color or kids with disabilities — who cannot vote or lobby on behalf of themselves.
