We love showing off a little. The school year always ends with a big push here at the UVA Printing Office. Printing and Copying Services is responsible for preparing the Finals Programs used at the celebration of UVA’s graduating students each year. This 56-page magazine-size “program” lists every student receiving a degree in each of the eleven Schools of the University plus the College of Arts and Sciences and the Data Science Institute. Doctors of Philosophy have their dissertation title included with their name, and every undergraduate receiving honors is noted. Recipients of Student and Faculty Awards and members of Honorary Societies are listed. And rounding it all out are the words of “The Good Old Song.”
The most daunting task, of course, is accuracy. Working with the University's Registrar's office, our experienced team of compositors and proofers carefully ensure names are spelled right, titles are correct, and no one is forgotten.
Printing is monumental. The almost 40,000 programs contain close to two-and-a-quarter-million total pages. The job requires over eight skids of paper, each skid weighing close to a ton. Moving this much paper quickly and efficiently through our printing and binding equipment gives each member of Printing and Copying Services a chance to demonstrate the skills they have mastered in their years of service to the University. The result is a printed piece which we know will be cherished in the homes of many for years to come. It is our great honor to participate in the production of this document recording the accomplishments of the University of Virginia each year!