Contact Information

Undergraduate students: For information, call Dr. Peter M. Gigliotti, Commencement Committee chair, at 477-1202 or send e-mail to SUnews@ship.edu.

Graduate students: For information, view Graduate Commencement or call Shirley Smith at 477-1148 or send e-mail to smsmit@ship.edu. 

General Information

• Graduate Student Information 
• Undergraduate instructions 
• Family and guest information 
• Information for faculty participants 
• Ticket allocation set for May 11 graduation

Web Coverage

The Spring 2013 graduate commencement ceremony will be available online by clicking here.

The Spring 2013 undergraduate commencement ceremony is available online by clicking here.

There will be live coverage of the ceremonies on the Comcast Community Access Channel 21 and Campus Cable Channel 82.

Commencement Video Order Form 

Getting to Ship

• Directions to Ship  
• Parking Map  
• Campus Map  

SPRING COMMENCEMENT INSTRUCTIONS
May 10 and 11, 2013

SPECIAL NOTE: 

The university has separate commencement programs for undergraduate students and graduate students. The ceremony for graduate students is 7 p.m. May 10 in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center and the ceremony for undergraduates is 11 a.m. May 11 in Seth Grove Stadium. Graduate students will receive additional information from the School of Graduate Studies on their ceremony. 

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE RECIPIENTS

Congratulations on receiving a bachelor’s degree during Spring Commencement. We want the ceremony to be a dignified and memorable event that you will recall with pride and joy. To help accomplish this, please familiarize yourself with these instructions as there is no rehearsal. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

1.  Special Note — Inclement Weather and Hotline  

Up-to-date information about commencement will be available by calling Hotline at 477-1200. Information will be placed on Hotline beginning Friday morning, May 10, and will be updated as needed prior to the ceremony. Hotline and the university's website are the ONLY official sources of information about commencement.  

In the event of inclement weather, commencement will be in two separate ceremonies in Heiges Field House. Participants will attend the ceremonies based on their colleges. Members of the John L. Grove College of Business and the College of Education and Human Services will participate in the 11 a.m. ceremony, and members of the College of Arts and Sciences will participate in the 3 p.m. ceremony. Tickets will be required for all guests for either indoor ceremony. 

In case of inclement weather, the decision to move indoors will be made by President Ruud no later than 7 a.m. May 11. Individuals may call Hotline at 477-1200 about the ceremony and any possible changes. The information will also be posted on the university’s website. 

2.  Family and Guest Information       

Parking — University Police will direct visitors to designated parking areas.  

Tickets — No tickets are required for the outdoor ceremony. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. If inclement weather forces a move to Heiges Field House, each graduate in both the 11 a.m. ceremony and 3 p.m. ceremony will receive tickets for guests. ONLY TICKET HOLDERS WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE FIELD HOUSE. The exact number of tickets will be determined in late-April when the final number of graduates is known. Tickets will be distributed in the University beginning in late-April, Identification is required to pick up tickets and you will be required to sign for the tickets. Tickets will NOT be mailed. Tickets do not guarantee a specific seat as seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.  

If you cannot stop in the store before May 11, please send an e-mail to shipstore@bkstr.com requesting your tickets be held in your name for pickup. If you plan to leave your tickets for a family member, please identify that person who also must sign for the tickets.  

Any graduate who does not need all of his or allotted tickets is asked to leave the extras with the University Store to be added to a pool for other graduates. Any extra tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning May 3 in the University Store and also on May 11 beginning at 8 a.m. at the "will-call" desk near the CUB information desk. If more tickets are available, they will be limited to two additional tickets per graduate.  

The ceremony will be broadcast into alternate viewing sites, whether it is outdoors or indoors. No tickets are needed to enter these sites. These sites include the Ceddia Union Building (indoor or outdoor ceremonies), and other selected facilities if the ceremonies are indoors. 

Guests with special needs — You should make seating arrangements for guests with special needs by contacting the Office of University Communications and Marketing in writing by Friday, May 3. Please include the guest’s name and the name of one person who will sit with him/her. Please indicate the special need and if your guest will use a wheelchair. An interpreter (signer) will be at the ceremony. You may contact the office via e-mail at SUnews@ship.edu. Please ask for a reply to ensure the request was received. 

Restrooms — Restroom facilities are under the grandstand and portable facilities will be available next to the visitors’ bleachers. The Ceddia Union Building also will be open for those needing restroom facilities. 

Students who need special assistance — Graduates with physical disabilities requiring special assistance are asked to call the Office of University Communications and Marketing at 477-1202 by May 3.  

Guest admission — Gates to Seth Grove Stadium open at 9 a.m. for guest admission. Light refreshments will be available for guests who arrive early. Refreshment stands also will be open. Please have your guests arrive in time to be seated by 10:45 a.m. The academic procession begins promptly at 11 a.m. The ceremony ends at approximately 1 p.m. If the ceremony is moved indoors, guests are asked to be in their seats at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the program. 

Photographs — Family and guests will not be permitted on the field to take pictures. The official photographer, Grad Images, will take a photograph of each graduate and contact you with details about the photograph. The firm’s website is www.gradimages.com. 

         3. Demeanor  

Cap and Gown — Participants in the ceremony may wear only academic regalia approved by the Commencement Committee. Because of the artificial turf in the stadium it is STRONGLY encouraged that flat or low-heeled shoes be worn to make walking on the turf easier. 

Alcohol — Possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Any such beverages will be confiscated and violators will be evicted from the facility. Participants who appear intoxicated will NOT be allowed to participate in the ceremony. 

      Valuables — You are responsible for your valuables; leave them at home or in the possession of a relative or friend. The university is not responsible for lost, stolen or misplaced items.   

CHECK-IN, ROBING AND ASSEMBLY FOR OUTDOOR CEREMONY

1. Check-in — Report to the check-in desk in the main lobby of ShipRec at 9:30 a.m. to pick up your name card and be placed in your college’s lineup. Please do not lose it as the card assigns you to a place in the procession and a seat based on your college. During the ceremony you will hand the card to the announcer, who will read your name.  

If the ceremony is indoors, graduates in the first ceremony should begin reporting to the Heiges Field House lobby at 9:30 a.m. and graduates in the second ceremony should begin reporting to the Heiges Field House lobby at 1:30 p.m. 

2. Tassels  

            Position your tassel on the right side of your mortarboard. You will be instructed to shift it to the left side during the ceremony.  

PROCESSIONAL

1.  Line-up — Follow the instructions of the class marshals, who will assist you in lining up and lead you through the ceremony. After you robe, please find your position in line as designated by the color of and number on your name card. Your college determines your position. 

2.  10:30 a.m. — The class marshals will lead the four columns of the procession to the stadium running track.  

3. 11 a.m. — The university marshal carrying the Shippensburg University mace will lead the procession onto the field of the stadium. 

4. Seating — The class marshals will lead you onto the field and direct you to your seats. Move into your row and take your seat. Once all graduates are on the field, you will be asked to stand when faculty enter the stadium. Gentlemen, please remove your mortarboards during the national anthem, invocation, alma mater and benediction.  

5. Seating— Seating will be in four columns. Column one will be Grove College of Business. Column Two will be College of Education and Human Services. Columns Three and Four will be College of Arts and Sciences. 

CONFERRING OF DEGREES

1. Degree Candidates  

At a certain point in the ceremony, you will be asked to stand and be presented to President Ruud who will confer the degree “Bachelor of . . .” upon you. When the president finishes saying “. . .with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto,” he will instruct you to move your tassel from the right to the left side of your mortarboard. You then will be asked to sit and await instructions from the class marshals.  

Awarding of Degrees — On cue from the class marshal, one row at a time will rise and move into the aisle. When released by the class marshal, move to the announcer and present your name card. Next, move to the dean to receive your diploma cover and then to President Ruud, where a handshake is extended and a photograph taken. Return to your seat and sit down immediately.   

Please follow the directions of the class marshals carefully. All graduates are to remain in their seats for the duration of the program. 

RECESSIONAL

Following the benediction, the platform party, dignitaries and faculty will leave the field in the recessional. After they have cleared the aisle, the class marshals will release you from the seating area WITHOUT a recessional. This ends the ceremony.