Basketball legend and New York Times best-selling author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will keynote UCLA's main commencement ceremony on June 15, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be presented with the university's highest honor, the UCLA Medal.

Abdul-Jabbar is scheduled to deliver remarks at the UCLA College of Letters and Science ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15, in Pauley Pavilion. It is a tradition to invite a distinguished alumnus to keynote the ceremony. Abdul-Jabbar received a UCLA bachelor's degree in history in 1969 after leading the basketball team to three consecutive NCAA championships, in 1967, '68 and '69. He is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association and the author of six books.

Villaraigosa, who received his UCLA bachelor's degree in history in 1977, is scheduled to be presented with the UCLA Medal by Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams during the ceremony. Villaraigosa was elected mayor in 2005 after serving as a member of the California Assembly, including Assembly speaker, and a Los Angeles city councilman. For information about the UCLA Medal, visit www.specialevents.ucla.edu/guidelines/uclamedal.html.

The UCLA College of Letters and Science holds the campus's largest ceremony during commencement season, which runs from May 11 to June 17. Approximately 2,900 students are expected to have degrees conferred on them at the ceremony, and some 12,000 guests are expected to attend.

In all, UCLA will award approximately 11,000 bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees this academic year. Approximately 8,500 students are expected to participate in commencement ceremonies, and an estimated 90,000 guests are expected to attend commencement‑related activities.

For general commencement information, visit www.commencement.ucla.edu/index.cfm.

At other UCLA commencement ceremonies, listed in order of occurrence:

·        Antonia Hernández, president and chief executive officer of the California Community Foundation, will keynote ceremonies for the School of Law at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at Dickson Court North. Hernández, who received her law degree from UCLA in 1974, was previously president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

·        Dr. Vivian W. Pinn, director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, will deliver remarks at the Hippocratic Oath ceremony for graduates of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 1, at Dickson Court North. During the ceremony, Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams will present the UCLA Medal to Chien Chung Pei of Pei Partnership Architects, designers of the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

·        Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor for medical sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will keynote the commencement ceremony for the School of Dentistry at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 3, at Royce Hall.

·        Norman Y. Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, will address graduates of the School of Public Affairs at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 15, at Royce Hall. During the ceremony, Mineta, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, will receive the UCLA Medal.

·        Larry Gelbart, an Emmy- and Tony-winning writer, will keynote the ceremony for the School of Theater, Film and Television at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at Dickson Court North. Gelbart has also been nominated for several Oscars. Among his best-known credits are the television series "M*A*S*H" and the film "Tootsie."

·        Bill Gross, founder and managing director of Pacific Investment Management Company, will speak to graduates of the UCLA Anderson School of Management at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at Wilson Plaza. Gross received an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 1971.

·        The School of Public Health commencement will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at Royce Hall.

·        Dr. Nancy Woods, dean of the school of nursing at the University of Washington in Seattle, will address graduates at the School of Nursing ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Royce Hall.

·        Jim Maser, President of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and space propulsion systems, will address graduates of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Pauley Pavilion.

·        Pedro Noguera, a professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, will keynote the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies ceremony at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Wilson Plaza.

·        Michael Govan, chief executive officer and Wallis Annenberg director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will address graduates of the School of the Arts and Architecture at

4 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Dickson Court North.

About UCLA

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

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