Cap & Gowns
Please bring with you your cap, gown, tassel, and hood.
Tassels
Undergraduate students (bachelor’s degree) should wear their tassels on the right side of their caps. Graduate students have already graduated (with a bachelor’s degree) and should wear tassels on the left side of their caps throughout the ceremony.
Assembly Area
Report to the student assembly area in the Atrium of the Science Building (E201) by 10:15 a.m. on Commencement Day. Look for signs indicating where you are assembling. University personnel will assist you in lining up.
Processional
When forming the processional, you will be instructed to line up in numerical order according to the card you received at the registration table when you checked in. It is imperative that you line up according to the number on the card you were given. Staff will be there to assist you. Save your card. You will hand it to the announcer during the ceremony and your name will be read from the card. When taking your seat, be sure to sit directly next to the person preceding you.
The line of march will be as follows: Faculty and graduates.
Conferral of Degrees
Degrees will be awarded by school. The Dean of each school will ask candidates to come forward and be recognized. The President will then say, “…I confer upon you the degree you have earned, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto.” At that time:
- Graduates receiving their bachelor’s degrees will move their tassels to the left side of their cap.
- The school will come to the stage. Each graduate will hand the announcer his/her card with name-side up.
- As the announcer reads your name, move to the Dean of your school to receive your diploma case, then to President Leahy, then to the Chair of the Board of Trustees or their designee.
- Walk down the steps opposite the steps you walked up. Staff will direct you. Please note that you may not be returning to the same seat. You will, however, return to the same row.
- Be sure to sit in the seat directly next to the person preceding you.
- Students are reminded that they must return to the seating area after leaving the stage. Out of respect for all students being recognized, participants are required to remain until the faculty and the platform party have recessed from the area.
Guests
The doors to Pollak Theatre will open approximately 45 minutes prior to the ceremony. Guests are requested to take their seats prior to the start of the ceremony and to remain seated until the faculty and platform party have left the area at the conclusion of the ceremony. Each student will receive five (5) tickets for guests. No one will be admitted to the seating area without a ticket. Doors to Pollak Theatre will open at 10:15 a.m. For guests without tickets, the ceremony will be streamed live on the Commencement website and may also be watched on the televisions in the Stafford Student Center on campus. For those not viewing on campus, they may watch the live stream of the event.
Diplomas
Diplomas will be mailed to your home address on file from an outside vendor approximately 3-4 weeks after your graduation date. Diploma cases will be distributed on stage to each graduate. Diplomas will only be released after all financial obligations to the University are completed. Please check to make sure all obligations are completed as exceptions will not be made.
Professional Photography
A professional photographer, GradImages, will be on hand to photograph each graduate as they receive their diploma. Proofs will be mailed to your student email.
Reminders
- Expect traffic leading into the University on Commencement Day. Please leave ample time to enter campus, park, and report to the graduate assembly area.
- Please turn off all cell phones for the duration of the ceremony.
- Air horns, noise-making devices, and any objects that would detract from the formality of the event are prohibited.
- Balloons are not permitted inside Pollak Theatre.
- Alcohol is not permitted on campus in any area and will be confiscated.