ECE Commencement Ceremony
Tickets are required for all guests.
Due to venue constraints, tickets are required for the ECE Graduation. A limited number of tickets are distributed to graduating students and communications and information on that, RSVP, and deadlines are communicated directly to the graduates by email.
Photos
Photos taken by ECE during the ceremony are available on our Flickr Photos taken by Photo Specialities of each graduate will be available a couple of weeks after the ceremony, and samples are provided directly to the individual by Photo Specialties.
Directions
From Western Blvd., turn onto Pullen Road, go through the stoplight and turn onto Dunn Ave. The parking decking will be on your left between Jensen Drive and Jeter Drive.
Commencement Notes
Date:
May 1, 2025
Time:
3:00 pm
Place:
Reynolds Coliseum
Speaker:
Amanda Dixon
Student Speaker:
Gage Novaria
Doors Open:
2:30 p.m.
Please enter Reynolds from the Dunn Avenue Entrance.
Livestream
The ECE Department livestreams the Graduation Ceremony on this page at 3:00 pm EST on May 1, 2025.
Amanda Dixon
Senior Business Growth Manager for Smart Cities at Itron
Amanda England Dixon is a proven leader with over 20 years of success in the smart grid and outdoor roadway lighting market. Known for her bold decision to step outside the bounds of traditional corporate structures, Amanda designed and delivered breakthrough solutions that led to some of the largest smart street lighting deals in North America.
A long-time contributor to industry standards, she has chaired the ANSI C136 Outdoor and Area Lighting Committee within NEMA and built strong relationships with utility and municipal lighting engineers across the country. Her deep understanding of outdoor lighting and smart city technologies keeps her at the forefront of innovation in the field.
In 2009, Amanda was honored with the Next Generation Award from the ANSI Board of Directors for her leadership and vision in advancing standards for area and roadway lighting. She continues to share her knowledge by teaching and speaking at Lighting and Energy conferences across the U.S. and internationally.
Today, she serves as a Senior Business Growth Manager for Smart Cities at Itron, where she helps integrate asset-edge devices, real-time data, and actionable insights to empower cities in achieving sustainability goals, optimizing operations, and enhancing urban resilience.
While a student at NC State, Amanda led a team of undergraduate and graduate students across multiple disciplines in the college of engineering to win a national championship in 1998 for a competition sponsored by NASA for a lunar rover. She has also worked as a research engineer and project manager at Lord Corporation in Cary. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University, where today she also holds a seat on the Strategic Advisory Board for ECE.
Gage Novaria
Class of 2025
Gage Novaria was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and grew up in Wake Forest, North Carolina. After leaving college in 2017, he spent several years in the construction industry, working his way up to project manager before returning to pursue his degree in Computer Engineering. This graduation marks an important milestone in a much larger journey—one filled with unexpected turns, hard-earned growth, and deep gratitude. Gage is especially thankful for the unwavering support of his wife Alex, his family, and his dog Riggs, whose steady presence brought comfort through late nights and long days. He walks into the future proud of how far he’s come and ready for wherever the road leads next.
Special Accommodations
Guests requiring accommodation for a disability or any assistive devices or services to participate in this activity, please contact:
Rachael Gruber
Phone: (919) 515-5086
Email: ece-graduation@ncsu.edu
There will be seating available for guests requiring accommodation for a disability or any assistive devices or services to participate in this activity. No special notice is needed for this seating.
In addition, strollers are not permitted in Reynolds Coliseum. If you bring one with you, you will be asked to leave this in a designated area within the building but away from the Arena. It is recommended that you do not bring strollers with you if at all possible.
We suggest that you LEAVE ALL BAGS and STROLLERS in the car or at home. This includes purses or backpack. Know that if you must bring a bag, you must go through a bag check at the door before entering the building.
Order of the Engineer
Many engineering and computer science societies’ codes of ethics include statements of the professional responsibilities of their working members. The purpose of this ceremony is to remind and encourage NC State College of Engineering students to be cognizant of these responsibilities as they embark on the professional phase of their lives. In addition, we wish to celebrate the conclusion of their time on campus and wish them well in future endeavors as they represent themselves, their families, the college and NC State itself.
Students in one of the ABET-EAC engineering degree programs will be inducted into the Order of the Engineer (OOE) and will receive a ring. Please see www.order-of-the-engineer.org for details on this designation.
The Recognition of Graduates Event on April 30, 2025 4:00 pm requires RSVP online.
Next Graduation Ceremony
Past Graduation Ceremonies
Fall 2024
The Fall Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony held on December 12, 2024 in Reynolds Coliseum at 12:00 pm.
See more
Spring 2024
The Spring Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony held on May 2, 2024 in Reynolds Coliseum at 11:00 am.
See more
Fall 2023
The Fall Class of 2023 Commencement Ceremony held on December 16, 2023 in Reynolds Coliseum at 7:00 pm.
See more
Spring 2023
The Spring Class of 2023 Commencement Ceremony held on May 4, 2023 in Reynolds Coliseum at 9:00 am.
See more
Fall 2022
The Fall Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony held on December 16, 2022 in Reynolds Coliseum at 6:15 pm.
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Spring 2022
The Spring Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony held on May 5, 2022 in Reynolds Coliseum at 11:00 am.
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Fall 2021
The Fall Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony held on December 10, 2021 in Reynolds Coliseum at 1:00 pm.
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Spring 2021
The Spring Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony held on May 14, 2021 in at 10:00 am.
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Fall 2020
The Fall Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony held on December 4, 2020 in at 10:30 am.
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Spring 2020
The Spring Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony held on May 7, 2020 in at 1:00 pm.
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Fall 2019
The Fall Class of 2019 Commencement Ceremony held on December 20, 2019 in Reynolds Coliseum at 4:00 pm.
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Spring 2019
The Spring Class of 2019 Commencement Ceremony held on May 10, 2019 in Reynolds Coliseum at 9:00 am.
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Fall 2018
The Fall Class of 2018 Commencement Ceremony held on December 19, 2018 in Reynolds Coliseum at 1:30 pm.
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Spring 2018
The Spring Class of 2018 Commencement Ceremony held on May 10, 2018 in Reynolds Coliseum at 2:00 pm.
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Fall 2017
The Fall Class of 2017 Commencement Ceremony held on December 15, 2017 in Reynolds Coliseum at 1:30 pm.
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Spring 2016
The Spring Class of 2016 Commencement Ceremony held on May 5, 2016 in McKimmon Center at 7:30 pm.
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Fall 2016
The Fall Class of 2016 Commencement Ceremony held on December 15, 2016 in Reynolds Coliseum at 10:00 am.
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Spring 2015
The Spring Class of 2015 Commencement Ceremony held on May 8, 2015 in McKimmon Center at 10:00 am.
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FAQs
Do you have questions about the ECE graduation event? Answers to many common queries are below — if your question still isn’t answered, please email ece-graduation@ncsu.edu
Do guests need tickets?
Starting with Spring 2025, tickets are required for guests. A limited number of tickets will be available for students to pickup, and all graduating students should receive email notifications and details about ticket availability.
Do we go to the ECE Graduation as well as University Commencement?
The choice is up to you, but you are encouraged to attend both–the ECE Graduation is specific to your program of study, includes a guest and student speaker, and every graduate’s name is called as you walk across the stage. The University Commencement in PNC Arena is a larger event to accommodate all graduating students–details can be found here. Only doctoral candidates will walk across the stage. All other students will be asked to stand and be recognized with the other graduates of their respective colleges by their deans.
How long does the Graduation usually last?
Our May graduation ceremony usually lasts around an hour and a half. It should not be more than 2 hours. Our December graduation ceremony lasts around an hour. It should not last more than an hour and a half.
Can I bring in a purse/backpack/bag/etc?
Bags are allowed, however, there is nowhere to check bags. All bags will be subject to search at entry. The guest bringing in a bag will be encouraged to keep the bag with them. Graduates are encouraged not to bring anything with them.
Can we bring gifts for our graduates?
You are welcome to bring graduation gifts, however wrapped gifts are not permitted (security will require them to be unwrapped), and helium balloons are not permitted.
Where can I check my stroller/walker/etc?
Stollers are prohibited in Reynolds arena. Guests can leave them in a specific room in Reynolds, however, this is at their own risk. We will not check items for guests and are not liable for any of the items they leave. Guests are encouraged to leave strollers in their vehicles. Walkers are needed for guests to move about Reynolds. If a guest has a walker, they should sit in wheelchair-accessible handicapped seating. Walkers can not be left in the aisles of the arena and therefore they can not sit in the normal arena sitting areas.
Will there be programs in the seats?
Faculty and ceremony participants (student speaker, keynote speaker, etc.) will be provided programs in their seats. Each graduate will NOT be given a program. Programs are available for family, friends, and guests as they arrive (while supplies last). Please grab an additional program for your student if you’d like.
What if the graduating student arrives late?
All graduating students are informed of the time they must arrive at Reynolds Coliseum for check-in. They are also informed that should they arrive after the procession has begun (the listed time for the beginning of Graduation), they will not be permitted on the arena floor. There are no exceptions to this policy.
If the graduating student is also being commissioned out of one of the ROTC programs, can they wear their dress uniform?
Yes, any student graduating from the NC State ROTC programs is permitted to wear their branch’s dress uniform if they so choose.