Commencement Day

General Information

Parking

Students: On Commencement Day, South Drive and Jaguar Drive are closed to through traffic. For your convenience, we encourage graduates to use Old Shell Road for easy access to the Graduate only parking lot off of Jaguar Drive.

Handicapped Parking: A limited number of handicapped parking spaces will be available at the Mitchell Center. Entrance to this lot will be from Old Shell Road only. Proper handicapped tags must be visible for access to this lot.

Academic Apparel

Academic apparel will be available for pick up 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday of the week of Commencement at room 220, in the Bookstore and on the day of commencement beginning at 12:00 Noon in the HPE Building, Room 1125.

You must be in your academic apparel before picking up your line-up card in the West Gym of the HPE building.

Gowns, and graduate-level hoods, must be returned to the same room after the ceremony. Financial holds will be placed on accounts of students who do not return their academic regalia.

Student Apparel

Men wear dark slacks, white shirt, solid dark tie, dark socks and dark shoes. Women wear white blouse and dark skirt or dark dress and dark pumps. The white collar included with the gown is worn only with the bachelor’s gown. Tassels are worn on the right side of the mortarboard (cap) until the degree is conferred. Only honor cords, honor pins, and honor medallions may with worn with the academic apparel. All graduate- and professional-level students with the exception of the Ph.D. candidates wear their hoods. Ph.D. candidates carry their hoods in the processional and will be hooded during the ceremony.

Note that personal items are not allowed in the HPE Building or the Mitchell Center since there is no secure place for them.

Diplomas

Diploma covers will be issued on stage. Ph.D., DPT, AUD, DNP, and MD students will receive their diplomas during the ceremony. Diplomas for all other students will be mailed approximately 4 weeks after the end of the term.

Degree Completion/Honors Program Completion/Academic Honors

Only spring candidates are eligible to participate in this commencement. Participation in the exercises does not mean that degree requirements and/or honors program requirements have been completed or that academic honors have been awarded. Final degree and undergraduate honors will be awarded at the end of the term. Questions concerning tentative honors should be resolved prior to commencement. If you have any questions concerning tentative honors, contact the Registrar’s office 251-460-6251(option 4).

Holds

All outstanding obligations to the University must be cleared before transcripts or diplomas will be released.

Assembling of Graduates

Doors to the HPE West Gym open at 12:15 p.m. the day of graduation.

Commencement participants must assemble in the HPE Building by 12:45 p.m.

Only students who rent academic regalia through the Bookstore will be allowed to participate in the ceremony.

You must be robed prior to picking up your line-up card. If you did not pick up your academic regalia prior to commencement day, you may do so in Room 1125 of the HPE building between 12:00 Noon and 12:45 p.m.

Once you are robed you will pick up your line-up card in the West Gym of the HPE building. There will be signs directing you to the correct line based on your college.

Honor cords will be distributed to eligible undergraduate students in the gymnasium on the day of commencement.

Readers will be available in the gymnasium to verify name pronunciation.

Report to your group as designated on your line-up card in the gymnasium. Registrar staff will be there to direct you. Student marshals will assist you in lining up for the procession to the Mitchell Center arena. The procession will begin promptly at 1:50.

Ceremony

Processional

The University Gonfalonier will lead students into the Mitchell Center arena. Each college will be led by a gonfalonier. Students will process in two lines as instructed by the marshals. The Ph.D. students with their major professors will be first, followed by Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Audiology, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and the undergraduate students by college and the graduate students by college. After being directed to your row and seat, you will remain standing until after the invocation. Men should remove their mortarboards during the National Anthem and invocation.

Conferring of Degrees

Undergraduate, Graduate, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Audiology, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Medicine students:
When instructed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs rise by college or school. Remain standing until all colleges have been introduced and the degrees conferred en masse by the President. You will then be directed to the stage by the marshals. Once on the stage you will be prompted by the marshal at the head of the ramp to proceed to the reader’s podium. You will hand your name card to the staff person standing by the reader’s podium. The reader will take the card and read the full name and any applicable honors. As your name is being read you will cross the stage, receive your diploma from the President and have your picture taken, advance and shake hands with your dean, exit the platform by the front side steps and return to your seat down the center aisle. Marshals will direct you back to your seats.

Ph.D. Students:
Ph.D. candidates when instructed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs will rise, have the degrees conferred en masse by the President and then proceed to the top of the ramp with your major professors. As you reach the Reader’s podium on the stage, your full name, and the name of your major professor will be read. You and your major professor will then move forward halfway between the Reader’s podium and the President where your major professor will hood you. You and your major professor will then walk to the President who will hand you the diploma and have your picture taken, advance and shake hands with the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Board of Trustees, exit the platform by the front side steps and return to your seat down the center aisle. Marshals will direct you back to your seats.

Recessional

At the end of the ceremony, you will recess after the platform party. Marshals will direct you out of the arena.

Reminders

Smoking and drinking of alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the HPE Building and the Mitchell Center. Valuables should not be brought into the HPE Building or the Mitchell Center. Please arrange to leave purses, cameras and other personal items with family or friends. All cell phones must be turned off during the ceremony.

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