Ceremony

The Procession

The commencement ceremony begins at 1 p.m. with the procession of graduates, faculty, and the platform party onto the floor. Academic regalia is required in order to participate in the ceremony.

Bachelor’s and Master’s Candidates

Arts and Sciences
Line up in the Food Court, located on the Lawn Level.

Engineering
Line up in the Multipurpose Room located on the Event Level.

All Other Schools
Line up in the Practice Gym located on the Event Level.

Doctoral Candidates

Proceed to the Green Room located on the Event Level and stop at the registration desk. You will be placed in specific order for procession to your seat. In order for your name to be called during the ceremony, you must register no later than 12 p.m.

Following the speaker’s address, candidates for bachelor’s and masters degree’s will rise, when instructed by their respective deans, for the conferring of degrees. Bachelor’s candidates should move their tassels from the right to the left side of their mortarboards, indicating that they have received their degrees.

Marshals will then lead the doctoral candidates onto the stage as their names are called by their respective deans. The candidates will be met either by their chosen faculty members or by members of the platform party, who will take the hoods from the candidates and place them over their shoulders. Once hooded, the candidates will continue across the stage and receive congratulations from the chancellor.

Following the directions of the marshals, the graduates will then walk across the platform to shake hands with the board chairman and provost. Graduates should then descend the stairs back to the seating area.

Only faculty and the platform party will participate in the recessional. There will be no recessional for graduates.