UND Winter Commencement is Friday, Dec. 19
The University of North Dakota’s 2025 Winter Commencement ceremonies will be held Friday, Dec. 19, at the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center.
The Professional & Graduate Ceremony starts at 9 a.m., and two Undergraduate Degrees ceremonies start at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Mines, Nursing & Professional Disciplines and School of Medicine & Health Sciences will be part of the 1 p.m. ceremony. The Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, the College of Education & Human Development and the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences will follow, starting at 4 p.m.
Five hundred forty-five undergraduates and 311 graduate students are eligible to take part in the Dec. 19 ceremonies.
UND President Andrew Armacost will preside, and Jill Cholewa, a California-based alum, has been invited to speak.
All three ceremonies will be available to watch via livestream on UND.edu and UND’s Facebook page.
Jill Cholewa
Jill Cholewa (Cho-Lee-wah) is a 1977 and 1979 graduate of the University of North Dakota, a 2015 recipient of the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership and a longtime supporter of UND academic and athletic programming.
She is a retired business owner currently serving as a SCORE Certified Mentor for small businesses and resides in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Originally from Hillsboro, N.D., Cholewa played four years of volleyball at UND at the outset of the program — lettering twice — and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration and Management.
Cholewa and her husband, Steve, founded S&J Lumber in Madera, Calif., in 1987, which they operated until 2008.
Over the years, the couple has contributed to UND scholarships and established three endowments in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, the College of Education & Human Development and for UND’s volleyball program.
Beyond her leadership of S&J Lumber, Cholewa is a retired member of the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program and currently serves as chair of the UND National Women’s Athletic Leadership Council, “Women Behind the Women.”
She has served as president of the Infant of Prague Adoption Agency Foundation, president of AAUW (the American Association of University Women) California and president of the State Center Community College Foundation.
Additionally, Cholewa founded and operated the Madera Volleyball Club for 10 years, providing opportunities for around 90 young athletes a year, and has been a dedicated member of Rotary International for 20 years.
She is passionate about horticulture, entertaining with friends and family, education, traveling and experiencing new cultures, friend-raising, empowering and educating women and mentoring. Known as an active listener, Cholewa holds space for her friends and values meaningful connections.
