Four University of California, Davis, professors who have been honored for their teaching will lead graduating students to the stage to be recognized at the campus's first fall commencement Sunday, Dec. 15.

About 350 undergraduates and 3,000 guests are expected to attend the 10 a.m. ceremony in Recreation Hall. Participating students will be from the Division of Biological Sciences and the colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science.

This year, a total of 561 students earned their undergraduate degree by September, and an additional 948 in the process of completing degree requirements have applied to graduate this month.

At the ceremony, escorting the students to the stage will be:

• Richard Grosberg, a professor of evolution and ecology and one of four winners of this year's Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Awards;
  
• Mohamed Hafez, professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering and winner of the 1998 UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement;
  
• Mark Kurth, professor of chemistry and this year's winner of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research;
  
• and a professor yet to be named by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

There will be no guest speaker, and awards will not be presented to students at the ceremony.

Pat Turner, vice provost for undergraduate studies, said the ceremony was instituted because the spring ceremonies of two of the undergraduate colleges -- each attended by about 1,000 students -- are nearing the capacity of Recreation Hall for a graduation ceremony.

She chaired a committee studying commencement improvements, and adding a fall ceremony was one of its recommendations.

The fall ceremony, Turner said, allows students who complete their degree requirements over the summer or fall to celebrate their achievement sooner rather than waiting until spring.

In the spring, UC Davis holds 11 ceremonies for the Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate Studies, three undergraduate colleges and four professional schools.

In 2001-02, UC Davis awarded 6,128 degrees including 4,732 bachelor's, 515 master's, 346 doctoral and 535 professional degrees. Fifty-one students completed a UC Davis teacher education program, and an additional 57 completed a teacher education program offered jointly by the campus and California State University, Sacramento.