Participation in this year's fall commencement at the University of California, Davis, on Sunday, Dec. 14, is expected to be almost double what it was in its inaugural year.

About 625 undergraduates and 7,300 guests are expected to attend the 10 a.m. ceremony in Recreation Hall. Last year, about 320 students and 3,500 guests attended.

Participating students are from the Division of Biological Sciences and the colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science.

This year, a total of 655 undergraduates earned their degree by September, and another 1,083 in the process of completing degree requirements have applied to graduate this month.

The fall commencement was established 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.

It allows students who complete their degree requirements over the summer or fall to celebrate their achievement sooner rather than waiting until spring.

"This has turned out to be a very nice option for students," says Maddy Rehrman, special events coordinator for Letters and Science and the ceremony's lead coordinator.

Four UC Davis professors who have been honored for their teaching will escort graduating students to the stage to be recognized at the commencement. They are:

• Jim Shackleford, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and one of four recipients of the UC Davis Academic Senate's Distinguished Teaching Award this year;
• Stanley Sue, professor of Asian American studies and psychology and recipient of the 2003 UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, funded by the UC Davis Foundation; and
• two professors yet to be named by the Division of Biological Sciences and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Amanda Katherine Scott, a candidate for a bachelor of science degree in cultural studies from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will address her fellow students and guests in a speech titled "Emerging From the Box."

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

In 2002-03, UC Davis awarded 6,530 degrees including 5,166 bachelor's, 455 master's, 373 doctoral and 536 professional degrees. Ninety-five students completed a UC Davis teacher education program, and 43 completed a teacher education program offered jointly by the campus and California State University, Sacramento.