A task force to review commencement practices and the ceremonies themselves was appointed by President Wade Gilley in summer 2000 with the goal of shortening the ceremonies, streamlining the process of applying for graduation, and improving the quality of the ceremonies. In July 2001 (after the resignation of President Gilley) changes to graduation procedures and ceremonies were announced. Summer commencements were abolished, with students completing their work for the degree either participating in a fall commencement ceremony or attending college ceremonies at the end of the summer term. Students who were unable to participate in the fall ceremony could elect to participate in the spring ceremony prior to their completion of their academic work if approved to do so by the Registrar’s Office, in which case they received their diplomas two weeks after the end of the summer term in which work was completed.
Beginning in fall 2001 graduates no longer walked across the stage. At the first combined spring and summer commencement in spring 2002, a major problem arose because an insufficient number of chairs were set up for the graduates, and some graduates entering the arena in the procession had to find seats in the stands. The individual college ceremonies were slated to begin in fall 2001, but the delay in completing the renovation of the Alumni Memorial Building required postponing the start of individual college ceremonies. A hooding ceremony for doctoral students, however, was begun in fall 2001. To ensure that the changes in process were understood by students planning to graduate, an online commencement handbook was developed by the Office of the Registrar.
In fall 2003 the SGA recommended that a large ceremony be followed by individual college ceremonies. At the December 2003 commencement, the names of undergraduate students were called as students walked across the stage. Names of master’s graduates were called during the hooding ceremony the night before. In spring 2004 a university commencement was held at which students did not walk across the stage or have their names called but were asked to stand with the rest of the graduates in their college. The early morning university commencement was then followed by college ceremonies.
In January 2007 UT announced that because of scheduled renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena, spring commencement would be celebrated within the individual colleges in a mixture of settings on- and off-campus and with no combined ceremony. The College of Arts and Sciences further divided the ceremonies by having one for students graduating in the social sciences and a second for students graduating in humanities and science disciplines. The split was required because the Civic Auditorium, site of the Arts and Sciences commencement, could not hold all graduates, their families, and friends. Torchbearers were recognized at the kick-off ceremony, and top graduates were recognized at the individual college commencements. The change was announced as temporary but was announced as permanent in fall 2007 and effective with the spring 2008 commencement. A combined fall commencement was retained.