Online Rehearsal

All graduates must pick up a name card from the tables located at the north entrance.  You will hand the card to the administrator as you walk on stage and they will read your name and academic honors(if applicable).

Front of the card:

• Your full diploma name - If you need to spell your name phonetically, please feel free to write on the card before you leave the table.
• Academic honors (if applicable) - To earn academic honors, a student must be an Associate or Baccalaureate degree and earn a 3.50 or higher Colorado Mesa University cumulative GPA. Student earning academic honors should also have a gold honors cord that can be picked up in advance at the Registrar's Office or at the name card table.

Back of the card:

• General ceremony protocol and reminders.

There is no seating order beyond the categories below. You may sit by whomever you wish within your category. Line up behind the signs posted under the baseball grandstands near the name card tables.

Front of line

• Master of Arts in Education (MA Ed)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Singer performing in the ceremony / Student speaker(s)
• Baccalaureate students graduating with a 4.00 cumulative GPA
• Students with special needs or accommodations (i.e., wheel chair, crutches, interpreter, etc) - Please contact Registrar's Office at least two weeks prior t the ceremony to help ensure adequate accommodation.

Middle

• Baccalaureate

End

• Associate / Certificate

At 8:00, we will need your assistance to create two single file rows. If you would like to sit by your friends, be sure they are in front or behind you. With approximately 600 graduates participating in the ceremony, please stay in this arrangement as lines are formed.

By 8:15, the graduating class must be in single file rows and ready to proceed into the stadium.

Note:  Be courteous to the guests that will be arriving through the north entrance. Leave a wide walkway to allow them to get through to the stadium.

Faculty will lead the processional, followed by the students. The Commencement Marshals will direct you into the rows. When you get to your chair, remain standing until directed to sit.

Review the Commencement Program Booklet between 7:30-8:30 a.m. for information on the order of speakers & degree conferral. After the speaker's presentations, degrees will be conferred in the following order:

• Associate / Certificate
• Bachelors
• Masters

Follow instructions from the Commencement Marshal standing at the right of your row. Your row will be notified when to proceed to the stage.

Basic steps:

Hand your name card to the reader. If your name is difficult to pronounce, whisper it to the reader.

• Walk to the President to receive your diploma cover.
• Hold on to the diploma cover with the left hand on top, while shaking with the right hand underneath, and smile. Your picture will be taken by the professional photographer. At the bottom of the ramp, a second picture will be taken by the professional photographer. 
• There is a photography area for your family/friends on the east side of the stage where a picture can be taken as you cross the stage and exit the ramp. Be forewarned, this photography area is very crowded. Those in the photography area are asked to limit time at the front of the area to the two-minute time frame you will be crossing the stage.
• Return to your seat.

The tassel starts on the right side of the cap.  The 4.0 Baccalaureate Students will be asked to come forward to lead the turning of the tassel to the left side of the cap.

Remain seated until after the platform party exits the stage. There is no recessional for the students. Feel free to congratulate your fellow graduates. At that time, if you have family and friends who want to meet you, we recommend you have a pre-arranged meeting place in the stadium.

Guests typically start arriving between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. The east grandstands fill first.

There is limited seating for handicap guests on the east and west side of the track. With the limited space, handicap seating is available for those who cannot sit in the stands plus one guest.  See Special Needs for more information.

We encourage you to use your cell phone to silently text your guests letting them know approximately what row you are sitting in. Most students text just as the row in front of them leaves for the stage.

To keep the ceremony professional, please silence your cell phone and limit using for any other purpose.

Final Graduation Check

• After the Registrar's Office reviews final courses and grades, your degree will be awarded in the computer system. This process takes 8-10 weeks. To see if your degree was awarded  during that time, check your unofficial transcript through MAVzone. Once awarded, you can use your official transcript as proof of your degree.
• If all degree requirements were met, your diploma will be mailed by the dates below.
• To best ensure there are no issues with awarding your degree, check the letter mailed by the Registrar's Office that details your final requirements. If you have met those, it is very rare that any problems arise.

In general, diplomas are printed three times a year based on the semester the requirements are completed:

• Summer - Mailed by October 31
• Fall - Mailed by March 31
• Spring - Mailed by July 31

Contact the Registrar's Office with any questions or concerns, 970.248.1555.

As the ceremony is on a business day, please be considerate of the local businesses and residences and use the campus parking lots free of charge.

If the ceremony is held outdoors, you can invite as many family and friends as you wish. If the severe weather plan is initiated to allow an indoor ceremony, you will be limited to four guests. The guest tickets will be mailed to you by April 30th.

Those with special needs typically sit at the front of the graduates. If you are in a wheel chair, using crutches, need an interpreter, etc., please contact Terese Bates, 970-248-1555.

Yes.  Any student who finished in Summer 2011 or Fall 2012 is encouraged to attend. Please let the Registrar's Office know your intentions and we will plan accordingly.