Arrive no later than 30 minutes prior and no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the Ceremony.  After parking, enter the campus through the front gates or from the parking garage.

You should have your academic regalia (cap, tassel, gown, and stoles/cords), along with your guest tickets (if held indoors due to inclement weather), and name card. 

Prior to Commencement, you should have picked up your instructions, guest tickets, your name card, and your photography card. You should have also received ceremony instructions via email, as well.

Arrive no later than 30 minutes prior and no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the Ceremony.

After parking enter the campus and make your way to the Alumni Green. There will be Commencement staff at the entrance to the Alumni Green who will direct you to the graduate line-up area and your guests to the seating area. 

Once you approach the line-up area Commencement staff will guide you to where you will line up.  Hold onto your name card. Alumni volunteers will also be in the area to pin all of the graduates.

The Ceremony will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. You will be instructed to follow the Marshal of the Exercise and the Chairman of Commencement in the procession.  Once you arrive at the seating area, the Chairman will guide you to your seats.

When it is time for graduates to approach the stage you will be led to the stage by the Marshal of the Graduates, one row at a time.  You will hand your name card to the reader, cross the stage to receive your diploma, exit the stage where the photographer will take your photo.  You will return to your seat entering the opposite side of the row.

At the end of the Ceremony the Platform Party, and Faculty/Staff will march out of the seating area and line up toward the exit of the Alumni Green.  You will recess out led row by row by the Marshal of the Graduates where Faculty will congratulate you.  That will conclude the ceremony.

When you arrive you will be directed to line up along the walkway toward Horton Hall on the edge of the Alumni Green.

You will have the opportunity to post photos and congratulatory messages on our social media wall and participate in a selfie contest.

Information and details regarding this will be posted on our webpage during the week of Commencement.

Only diploma covers will be handed to each graduate during the ceremony. Once all degrees have been conferred diplomas will be mailed to each graduate.  December 2024 graduates have already received their diplomas.

All diplomas for May, 2025 graduates are mailed 4-6 weeks after Commencement.

August 2025 candidates for graduation who were eligible to walk, will receive their diplomas in September once they have completed all of their degree requirements.

Graduates will assemble in the walkway area of Horton Hall. Please arrive no later than 30 minutes before the ceremony begins.  The last call will be 5 minutes before the start time.  

Marching Order:

• Marshal of the Exercise
• Chairman of Commencement
• Marshal of the Graduates
• Graduates
• Faculty and Staff
• Platform Party

Graduates will pick up their name card, tickets, photography card, as well as instructions prior to the day of Commencement.

The Commencement Ceremony will be held on the Alumni Green, Middletown Campus  In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Physical Education Building on the Middletown Campus.  At the end of the ceremony the Platform Party and Faculty/Staff will rise and applaud the graduates.  The graduates will recess out of the seating area, row by row, leave the building and exit the campus.  Should the weather clear before the end of the ceremony., the Platform Party, and Faculty/Staff, will recess out followed by the gradautes.  The Platform Party and Faculty/Staff will cross the street and line up on either side of the walkway and applaud the graduates as they exit.  That will conclude the ceremony.

All student and staff parking lots, and the parking garage will be open to all attendees. Parking is also allowed on city streets.

If you have a family member with mobility issues, or special needs, Security will be equipped with passenger golf carts to transport those individuals to the seating area.  Drivers will be directed to either Tennis Court Drive behind the Physical Education Building or the Morrison lot for handicapped parking.

An official photographer (Island Photography) will take a picture of each graduate as she/he receives her/his diploma.  This will ensure graduates that photographs of the event will be available for purchase.  You will receive a photography card in your graduate packet which you will need to complete . You will receive color proofs with no obligation to purchase.  Their website address is www.islandphoto.com