Dear Master’s Degree Candidate:
Congratulations on the completion of your graduate studies at Shippensburg University. This letter contains some important information for master’s degree candidates planning to finish their degree requirements during the 2013 spring semester and for August graduates who wish to participate in the May ceremony.
This semester's Graduate Commencement Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 10, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center (LPAC), with a reception immediately following after in the Tuscarora Room in Reisner Dining Hall.
On the evening of the 10th, it will be important for you to plan to arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. and check-in at the Registration Table in the Ship Rec Center to pick up your processional card. Academic robes are required for everyone participating in the academic procession and program. You may purchase your graduation attire at the University Store in the Ceddia Union Building. We strongly recommend you make this purchase well in advance, but the University Store will be open until 6:00 p.m. on that evening for the convenience of you and your guests. Also, a store representative will be on hand at Ship Rec as graduates prepare for the processional to help with last-minute needs for caps, tassels, and hoods.
Please make sure all of your guests are in their seats at the LPAC by 6:45 p.m. At that time, the theater doors will be closed and the hallways will be used by faculty and graduates to prepare for the processional. Any guests not seated by 6:45 will need to wait until 7:15 to find seating. If no seats remain, guests will be able to view a live broadcast of the ceremony which will be provided in the Tuscarora Room in Reisner Dining Hall.
We encourage you to lock your personal belongings in your car before entering the building or give them to one of your guests. A coat rack will be available in an unsecured area of Ship Rec and a limited number of small lockers will also be available. Doors at Ship Rec will be locked 30 minutes after the conclusion of the ceremony. All unclaimed articles will be taken to the Lost & Found at the University Police Office. A coat check room is located in the first floor lobby of the Luhrs Performing Arts Center for the convenience of your guests.
A diploma cover will be given to students at the ceremony. Diplomas and unofficial transcripts will be mailed to graduates six weeks after graduation. For those unable to attend the ceremony, diplomas, diploma covers, and unofficial transcripts will be mailed. Official transcripts may be requested from the Registrar’s Office.
More detailed instructions for the ceremony and the RSVP form are available on the Graduate Dean's web page, www.ship.edu/graduate. Please review this information as soon as possible. In order to plan effectively for the evening of the 10th, we ask that you complete the RSVP form by April 26th even if you indicated your plans on the graduation application.
We hope that the Commencement Ceremony will be a time of celebration and fellowship for everyone and that you will be able to join us. Feel free to call us at 717-477-1148 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Tracy A. Schoolcraft, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies