Nearly 900 students took part in the Dec. 13 commencement ceremony at Freedom Hall. More than 1,500 students received degrees this semester.

UofL President James Ramsey congratulated each student and presented an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa) to Heddy Kurz, an associate alumna of UofL who attended the College of Arts and Sciences in 1934 and 1935.

Kurz, with her late husband, Herman, is a longtime supporter of UofL whose gifts have reached across the university. Herman and Heddy Kurz Hall, affiliated student housing, is named for the couple.

The School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies had a hooding ceremony for doctoral graduates earlier in the day. The ceremony was for students who finished their degree programs in the summer and in the fall semester. Fifty-eight of the 77 eligible PhD recipients participated, as well as one Juris Doctor recipient from the School of Law.

The Army ROTC program also commissioned six new second lieutenants on Dec. 14. The new officers and two from the Air Force ROTC program were honored at commencement.