As the spring semester draws to a close, Howard Payne University is preparing for an exciting week of events that will include the grand opening of the university’s Newbury Family Welcome Center and Commencement activities for fall 2021 and spring 2022 graduates.

On Thursday, May 5, the public is invited to self-guided tours of the Newbury Family Welcome Center from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. The nearly 8,000-square-foot facility is named for the family of Dr. Don Newbury, a 1961 graduate of HPU, president of the university from 1985 to 1997 and current chancellor. It will serve as a welcoming area for prospective students and other visitors, while housing offices for admissions personnel.

On Friday, May 6, Chime Out will be held at 7 p.m. in the historic L.J. Mims Auditorium. Chime Out is an HPU tradition in which graduating seniors pass a chain of ivy to underclassmen, representing the passing of responsibility to students who remain at campus to carry on the traditions of the university. A livestream of Chime Out will be available at www.facebook.com/hputx.

On Saturday, May 7, Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in L.J. Mims Auditorium. Degrees will be conferred to graduates from the Schools of Business, Christian Studies, and Education during the 10 a.m. ceremony. In the 3 p.m. ceremony, degrees will be conferred to graduates from the Schools of Humanities, Music and Fine Arts, Nursing, and Science and Mathematics, as well as the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy. A livestream of both Commencement ceremonies will be available at www.facebook.com/hputx.

Immediately after both ceremonies, receptions for graduates and their families will be held in the Newbury Family Welcome Center.

For more information about HPU, visit www.hputx.edu.