University of New Mexico. Office of the University Secretary.

In 1912, David Ross Boyd, the University of New Mexico's fifth president's investiture ceremony was held in the old Albuquerque Opera House. The next inaugural ceremony was in 1928 for President James F. Zimmerman and was combined with that year's commencement exercises. The 1946 inauguration of President J.P. Wernette was recorded on 12 inch phonograph disks. Other University Presidents were inaugurated in 1949 (Popejoy), 1968 (Heady), 1986 (May), 1990 (Peck), and 1999 (Gordon).

The University of New Mexico's first commecement, in 1894, took place in Grant's Opera House in downtown Albuquerque. Over the years the commencements have been held in various locales, including the original Rodey Hall, Tight Grove, the Art Building Quadrangle, Zimmerman Stadium, Carlisle Gym and University Arena. In its first century, the University has grown from 108 students to nearly 24,000 on the main campus. That number swells from the branch campuses in Los Alamos, Gallup and Valencia County; graduate centers in Santa Fe and Los Alamos; and the Taos Educational Center and medicine, pharmacy and architecture schools. Its twelve units offer 140 degrees and award 80 percent of the state's doctoral and professional degrees. Beginnng in 1992 graduation ceremonies were held twice a year.