(May 8, 2018) -- One of UTSA’s most memorable traditions takes place this week when almost 400 Roadrunners will receive their class rings. Before the rings arrive at UTSA, however, they make a special stop to spend a night in Texas’ most iconic landmark.
"UTSA is the only university that has rings stay at the Alamo. We’re very proud of this unique way to tie our students' accomplishments at the university to the history of San Antonio," said Kristin Ludwig, assistant vice president for alumni engagement and analytics and executive director of the UTSA Alumni Association.
The UTSA ring ceremony, which began in 2001, is a tradition of its own. Hundreds of UTSA students and alumni purchase a class ring each semester, marking a milestone in their academic careers.
In 2012, UTSA began placing the rings in the Alamo leading up to the ceremony. Each semester, UTSA alumni staff packs the rings in a secure case and takes them to the historic landmark, where they spend a night before the UTSA Official Ring Ceremony. To date, more than 4,500 UTSA class rings have been included in this special occasion.
At the UTSA Official Ring Ceremony, students and alumni learn about the history and significance of their class ring and receive a certificate authenticating the stay in the Alamo. Once the Roadrunners have received their rings, they will open their cases together and put their rings on in unison with the crest facing inward.
"The ring is a symbol of the students’ hard work and represents the accomplishments that students have experienced here,” said Ludwig, who will be on hand to present the rings this semester.
At Commencement, the newly minted graduates who have purchased rings will be called upon to turn their rings with the crest facing outward as a sign of their membership in the UTSA alumni community.
Ring recipients will participate in one of two ceremonies at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9 in the H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (1.104) on the UTSA Main Campus.
Learn more about the UTSA ring tradition and how to order yours.
Watch the UTSA ring journey.
Learn more about the UTSA Alumni Association.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusCovidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
