Presidents' Day, Feb. 17, honors all U.S. presidents past and present

President George Washington

By Tim Brownlee
Associate Director of Internal Communications

(Feb. 17, 2014) -- Monday, Feb. 17 is Presidents' Day, which many see as a day for stores to have big sales. Actually, since 1971, it is a day to honor U.S. presidents past and present.

Like The University of Texas at San Antonio, many schools and universities are open on the federal holiday. Observed on the third Monday in February, on this day financial markets, banks, courthouses, some schools, many city and county offices, and federal offices are closed. Additionally, U.S. mail is not delivered.

The holiday was established in 1885 to honor President George Washington on Feb. 22, his birthday. In 1971, the U.S. Uniform Monday Holiday Act changed the name to Presidents' Day and moved five federal holidays to Monday with the goal of creating more three-day weekends for many Americans.

The dates the Uniform Monday Holiday Act set are:

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday: third Monday in January (formerly Jan. 15)
George Washington's Birthday: third Monday in February (formerly Feb. 22)
Memorial Day: last Monday in May (formerly May 30)
Columbus Day: second Monday in October (formerly Oct. 12)
Veterans Day: fourth Monday in October (formerly Nov. 11; subsequently returned to Nov. 11 in 1978)

While several states and some communities still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and others, Presidents' Day is now widely accepted as the day to celebrate all presidents.

Events

Friday, May 3, 11:30 a.m.

McNair Scholars' Spring Celebration

This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.

North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main Campus

Wednesday, May 15, 6:00 p.m.

Doctoral Conferral Ceremony

At this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.

Arts Building Recital Hall, Main Campus

Thursday, May 16, 3:00 p.m.

Roadrunner Walk

Roadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.

Student Union Paseo, Main Campus

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m.

Commencement: Ceremony One

Celebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.

Alamodome, 100 Montana St.

Friday, May 17, 4:30 p.m.

Commencement: Ceremony Two

Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.

Alamodome, 100 Montana St.

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Spotlight

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The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

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UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

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The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.