Bachelors Degree Commencement Ceremony for 2008

Baccalaureate Service 
The Baccalaureate Service will be held at 9:00 a.m. in Cowan Hall on Sunday, June 15, 2008.  Members of the graduating class and faculty will constitute a major part of the program.  You and your guests may take any unreserved seats in Cowan Hall.  Academic regalia and a procession are not part of the Baccalaureate Service.  Both Bachelors and Masters degree students are invited to attend.

Commencement Ceremony
The Bachelors Degree Commencement Ceremony of 2008 will witness approximately 500 graduates receiving degrees. The ceremony will be held at the Rike Physical Education-Recreation Center where the unpredictability of June weather can be ignored.

The march line-up will start promptly at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 15, on the front lawn of Towers Hall. The march from Towers Hall to the Rike Center will begin at 11:50 a.m.

In the event of inclement weather, the hooding and line formation will be moved to the Clements Center's indoor track area. Notices regarding this will be posted at Cowan Hall, Towers Hall, Battelle Fine Arts Center and the Campus Center.

The Commencement procession and ceremony will start at 12:00 noon and end at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Where to Report on Sunday
All in the procession should gather in front of Towers Hall at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 15th with academic regalia. Each graduate should report to the appropriate divisional/departmental station to be hooded.

Next, the graduates will form a double line on the sidewalk in front of Towers Hall. The right line includes all odd-numbered marching order graduates, the left line all even-numbered marching order graduates. Locate your exact marching on the order of march and stand on the place where that number would be as indicated by your name on the walk. Procession should begin marching at 11:50 a.m. promptly.

INCLEMENT WEATHER: The graduates will form a line in the Clements Center's indoor track. There will be notices posted in Cowan Hall, Towers Hall, Battelle Fine Arts Center and the Campus Center of the location change.

Processional March
The graduates will face in while the rest of the academic processional marches between them. The Class of 2008 follows the faculty.

Once at the Rike Center, the left line will fill the east section and the right line will fill the west section of seating. Each row in a section has 15 chairs. The left line will go up the east section of the seating, turn in and be seated. The right line will go up the west side of the seating, turn in and be seated.

Conferring of Degrees
When the time to confer degrees arrives, all degree candidates will be asked to stand. President DeVore will confer the degree. Graduates will then go to the platform to receive their diplomas. Graduates will move their tassel from the right to left upon conferring of the degree.

An usher will lead the first row of candidates down the west aisle to the platform area. All other candidates should sit down again, and rise to go to the platform when an usher instructs them to do so. An usher will make sure graduates are in correct order as they move to the platform steps.

When the graduate's name is called, he/she steps forward. President DeVore will place the diploma in the graduate's left hand and shake his/her right hand. All movements should be unhurried since this is when the professional photographer takes the graduate's picture.

The graduate will exit off the east end of the platform and return to his/her assigned seat, using the rows for the most direct route. The process will be repeated for each degree group.

Recessional March
When the music begins, ushers will lead each section of the recession to the indoor track area. In the same order as you entered, platform party, trustees, faculty, and the Class of 2008 will return to the indoor track area of the Rike Center. The platform party, trustees, faculty will stop, part lines, face in, and permit the graduates to march through them. After all have passed through the faculty, the recessional will end. The audience is to remain seated until all graduates leave the main floor.

The Alumni Band will present a Commencement concert in the Rike Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 15th.