December 2021 Commencement Ceremony
Date: Friday, December 17
Time(s): 8:00am and 10:30am (see details below)
Location: Maverick Center, Brownson Arena, streaming online and Facebook.
Colorado Mesa University will host two morning graduation ceremonies on Friday, December 17 at 8:00am and 10:30am based on the student's academic department. The parking lots will open 45 minutes before the ceremony.
COVID Protocols
Proof of Vaccination, Past Positive, or Negative COVID Test
All graduates and guests will need to provide a picture ID and one of the following to attend either ceremony:
- Proof of vaccination
- Prior COVID-19 infection with proof of a past positive COVID-19 PCR test or antibody test dated prior to December 6th, 2021.
- Negative COVID-19 test within 72-hours of the event. Click here to reserve your testing location and time 2-3 days prior to your testing day.
Guests must bring either a digital copy or physical copy on commencement day.
Graduates who have not submitted proof of vaccination or past positive test, please upload your documentation using the vaccine form or past positive test by December 15th. Those who do not upload their documentation or choose to test within 72 hours will need to bring proof on commencement day.
Mask Protocols
Graduates and guests will be expected to abide by social distancing and safety protocols.
We ask that all members of the campus community respect one another's decision to wear or not wear a mask. Per the current CDC guidelines, CMU recommends:
- Wearing a mask in public indoor settings, especially in crowded settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Maintaining consistent and correct mask use as an additional layer of protection.
- Understanding that masks are not needed in most outdoor settings. However, wearing a mask is recommended in crowded outdoor settings and activities with close contact with others.
- Designated employees who regularly interact with guests, visitors and/or customers are encouraged to wear masks when interacting with members of the public, and distancing cannot be achieved.
Please respect that many in the campus community will choose to continue to wear a mask at all times. It's also important to note that some of our colleagues will choose not to wear a mask. We must honor and respect one another's decisions. We encourage our campus community to be aware of those around you and please ask others about their comfort interacting with or without a face covering. For additional information on CMU's COVID protocols and updates please visit, coloradomesa.edu/covid-19 and reach out to [email protected] with any additional COVID questions.
Guest Tickets
At this time, guest tickets are not required to attend the ceremony. However, please keep checking this website for the most up-to-date information.
Cap, Gown, and Name Card Pickup
Stop by the Maverick Store interior entrance next to the UC first floor stage on
- Tuesday, November 30 - 10 am to 4:00 pm
- Wednesday, December 1 - 10 am to 4:00 pm
Please bring a picture ID to pick up the following:
- Cap and Gown: All online orders placed for in-store pick up will be available.You can also purchase stoles of gratitude, hoods, alumni gear, and more.
- Name Card: The Registrar's Office will have your name card for the ceremony. You will need to bring it with you on commencement day as it is used to read your name as you walk across the stage.
- Academic Honors Cord(if applicable): The Registrar's Office will have honors cords for students who have a CMU GPA of a 3.50 or higher, earning a baccalaureate or associate degree and will complete all requirements by December 21.
Questions about your cap and gown? Please call The Maverick Store at 970.248.1422 or email [email protected].
Questions about the name card or academic honors cord? Please contact the Registrar's Office at 970-248-1555 or email [email protected] Name cards and academic honors cords that are not picked up on these this day may be picked up November 2-December 16, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm in the Registrar's Office with a picture ID.
Commencement Times
Each ceremony will host the majors from specific academic departments Graduates are expected to go to the ceremony for their major as posted below.
8am ceremony includes graduates from the following academic departments:
Graduates please arrive by 7:15am
- Business
- Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management and CU Engineering
- Health Sciences
- Kinesiology
10:30am ceremony includes graduates from the following academic departments:
Graduates please arrive by 9:45am
- Art & Design
- Biology
- Languages, Literature and Mass Communication
- Liberal Arts (University and General Studies)
- Math and Statistics
- Music
- Physical and Environmental Sciences
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Teacher Education
- Theatre Arts
- Western Colorado Community College
Ceremony Day Instructions
Be sure to check back to this website for maps and commencement day instructions a few weeks before the ceremony.
A professional photographer from MJ Thomas will be at the ceremony. Guests may take pictures from their seats.
Please contact MJ Thomas at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding photos taken at/near the stage during the ceremony.
Be sure to check back to this website for maps and commencement day instructions a few weeks before the ceremony.
Caps, Gowns, Hoods and Tassels
- Visit Herff Jones to order your cap and gown, hood or miscellaneous regalia items for home delivery or in-store pickup. Order deadline is October 14, 2021.
- The week prior to commencement, a very limited number of caps, gowns, hoods and stoles will available for purchase in-store at The Maverick Store.
- The Maverick Store will also have items available for purchase the day of commencement one hour prior to each ceremony just inside the main entrance of Stoker Stadium.
- Commemorative tassels, alumni mugs and other alumni related gifts are available in store or through the Maverick Store website.
- Orders may be placed for in-store pick-up or delivery.
Diploma Frames
- The Maverick Store stocks a variety of unique diploma frames available in store at The Maverick Store website . To customize your diploma frame visit Church Hill Classics or University Frames.
Students are eligible to participate in a commencement ceremony based on which semester they complete their graduation requirements.
- Summer Term* - December Commencement
- Fall Term - December or May Commencement
- Spring Term - May Commencement
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they are enrolled in the necessary courses or have a plan on file with the Registrar’s Office using the “Graduation Planning Sheet” or DegreeWorks Plan which outlines how all requirements will be met. In the four months prior to the ceremony, students must be on track to complete all requirements to remain eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony.
*Summer graduates may participate in the preceding May ceremony only if they are registered by April 15 for one or more summer courses that do not exceed six credits or an internship course that does not exceed 12 credits. The student must be able to finish the summer coursework by the end of the summer term.
After grades post at the end of each term, the Registrar's Office reviews the DegreeWorks reports for all students who submitted an Intent to Graduate. Please be patient as it takes up to six weeks to review all graduates and change the Graduation Application Status in DegreeWorks to either awarded or denied. Students may review their own DegreeWorks report to check if all requirements were met.
The CMU transcript is the official document to verify degree completion. Awarded degrees will show on the official and unofficial transcript. If you need a copy of your official transcript prior to the degree award, please be sure to check "Hold for Degree Statement."
CMU issues one diploma per degree approximately eight weeks after the degree is awarded. Additional copies may be purchased online through the Duplicate Diploma Request.
CMU and WCCC graduates automatically become members of the Alumni Association. An alumni card and other information about the Alumni Association will be mailed to each graduate within about two months of graduation. In the meantime, graduates are encouraged to register for the MyMesa Alumni Portal and learn more about the services and benefits of the Alumni Association.