Approximately 1,500 students -- including members of the inaugural class of the William S. Boyd School of Law -- are expected to participate in UNLV commencement ceremonies on May 12.

UNLV Registrar Jeff Halverson estimates that slightly more than 1,950 students will be eligible to participate in the ceremonies.

For the fifth year, UNLV will have two separate spring commencement ceremonies.

The morning ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Participating in that ceremony will be the graduates of the College of Business, College of Education, Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, and the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration.

Students receiving degrees from the William S. Boyd School of Law, the College of Fine Arts, College of Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Sciences, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, and College of Extended Studies will participate in the afternoon ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m.

Both ceremonies will take place in the Thomas & Mack Center. No tickets are required.

During the ceremonies, honorary doctor of laws degrees will be presented to Emilie N. Wanderer, who was the first woman to open her own law practice in Nevada; gaming industry innovator William G. Bennett; the late James R. Dickinson, who taught the first university classes in Southern Nevada and was named the first director of the school that eventually became UNLV; and Boyd Gaming President and UNLV Foundation Chair Donald D. Snyder.

Receiving President's Medals will be Assemblyman Morse Arberry, Jr.; Assemblyman and former seven-term Speaker of the Assembly Joseph E. Dini, Jr.; federal public defender Franny Forsman; U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro; Landra Reid, who volunteers her time and energy to numerous charitable causes and is the wife of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid; and Larry Ruvo of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, who founded and hosts the annual UNLVino scholarship fundraiser.

Dr. Elias F. Ghanem, founder of Las Vegas Medical Centers and innovator in the health care field; legendary singer and entertainer Wayne Newton; and Dr. Anthony Saville, whose 54-year career in education has included serving as UNLV's first dean of the College of Education and establishing UNLV's first doctoral program, will be named Distinguished Nevadans.

A hotline message containing additional details about commencement may be reached by calling 895-3229.