Commencement: Rehearsal and Walking Cards  

Commencement Rehearsal will be held in Lisser Theatre on Friday, May 17. It will open at 1:30 pm for seniors to complete the mandatory College Senior Survey and graduate, credential and certificate candidates may join the seniors for Rehearsal at 2:00 pm. Upon arrival, sit in the seats closest to the stage. There will be demonstrations of what degree candidates should do while walking across the stage, walking procedures, and academic regalia protocol. Rehearsal will last until about 3:30 pm.

All candidates who participate in Rehearsal are invited to the Rehearsal Lunch at the Student Union in Rothwell Center on Friday, May 17, from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm. A photographer will be available for students who wish to have a formal cap and gown portrait taken.

Walking Cards 

Every student participating in the Commencement ceremony must pick up their Walking Card Saturday morning prior to the Commencement ceremony at the Walking Card distribution table on Mills Hall Oval near the processional line-up area. After picking up individual Walking Cards, all participants line up with another degree candidate of their choice in their degree area. There will be signs and staff available to direct participants to the proper area.

At the degree granting portion of the program, degree candidates hand their Walking Card to the Provost upon reaching the stage. The Provost will read the candidate's name and major(s) as they walk across the stage to receive their diploma cover. Because students only need to line up by their degree type and not alphabetically, the Provost will keep the Walking Card, as this enables the official photographer to determine who is being photographed.

Students with hard to pronounce names will be given an opportunity to help the Provost with the correct pronunciation by printing their name phonetically on their Walking Card either at Rehearsal on Friday, May 17, or at the Walking Card distribution table prior to lining up in the processional on Saturday morning, May 18. Walking cards distributed at Rehearsal will be collected and re-distributed from the Walking Card table on Saturday morning.