GRADUATION INSTRUCTIONS
TUESDAY:
Tuesday, May 15
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Miller Theatre
*Open to students and faculty only. A lecture is given and student prizes awarded. Class photo taken at the conclusion.
The first of two school ceremonies for graduates. Students, faculty, adjuncts & staff gather for Pringle Lecture and the student awards.
* Introduction by Dean Nicholas Lemann
* 2012 Henry Pringle Lecturer: David Brooks
* Presentation of the Mike Berger Award
* Presentation of the Paul Tobenkin
* Award Awarding of Student Prizes
* Guests: No
* Attire: Business attire; no caps & gowns
Class Photo Shoot
GRADUATION DAY
Wednesday, May 16
University Commencement
10:30 am (seating begins for guests at 8:30 am)
Schedule:
8:30 a.m. General admission gates open
9:00 a.m. Degree Candidates line up
9:30 a.m. Degree Candidate Procession begins
10:30 a.m. Ceremony begins with the Academic Procession
12:00 p.m. Ceremony concludes
Graduates must enter the Earl Hall gate on Broadway at 117th street (east side of Broadway, opposite the Barnard gates) wearing your cap and gown. Please note access to the Journalism building from that side of campus will be impossible. If you need anything from the building, get it before lining up. Also, bathroom breaks are difficult once the event begins.
For those who have purchased academic attire to walk in the University Commencement, we will congregate next to Low Library on the Broadway side just north of the flag pole (next to Lewisohn) at 9:00 am. Don’t be late. Look for the sign and Dean Huff and our student marshals Jake and Mohammed. Attached are pdf files of where you can enter campus, where the Journalism graduates will be lining up and where we will be seated. Maps are also available at http://www.columbia.edu/content/maps-0.html
Seating & Family:
We will be sitting in the bleachers, left staircase, on the Dodge/Lewisohn side of Low. Wear sensible shoes, especially if it is raining. Please see the attached files.
The best place for parents to sit to see you in the bleachers is on the Amsterdam side of the campus. Guests can enter the campus at the Amsterdam or Broadway entrances. Don’t forget to remind them to bring their tickets, a camera and a cell phone. Many students call their parents so they can wave to them at the appropriate moment. If it is raining – everyone should bring plastic bags, dry towel and umbrella or if it is the expected sunny morning – water, umbrella and sun screen. The earlier they arrive the better the seating.
After the ceremony it will be very difficult getting around so please pick an obvious place to meet your loved ones. Off campus is best, for example, in front of “Ollies.” The campus will be a mass of confusion with the graduates and families all trying to find each other. Patience is the word for the day as well as the use of cell phones.
A live webcast of the university ceremony will be available here: http://www.columbia.edu/content/2012.html
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J-School Graduation
3 pm-4:30 pm (seating begins for guests at 2:15 pm)
Lerner Hall, entrance at 115th street. Roone Arledge Auditorium; CUIDS are required for faculty, staff and graduates. Non-graduating students must watch via live stream: http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/graduation2012
The doors open at 2:15 p.m. Your guests will need to present a ticket at the entrance. Seating for the graduates will be the center and right sections at the very front. Guests will be seated floor-left, floor right rear section and in the balcony. The best view is from the balcony level, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Your seating will be assigned by your program or core course (PhD, Knight Bagehot, Spencer, RWI or Seminar in Discipline). A numbered chart will be given to you as you enter the event. After remarks from Dean Lemann, SPJ President Jake Heller, Katherine Boo, the Columbia Journalism Award winner and recognition of the prize and honors winners, diplomas will be awarded. At the appointed moment, you will directed to the stage with your fellow classmates where your name will be read and you will receive handshakes, congratulations and your diploma from the deans and your primary instructor. Dress is afternoon wedding or business attire.
The entire ceremony live-streamed at http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/graduation2012
There will also be a photographer taking your picture as you exit the stage with your diploma. Personal cameras are OK but please caution anyone who will be taking pictures to stay clear of certain areas (i.e., the front of the stage as graduates walk across and down the steps).
After the event (about 4:30 pm) there will be a reception on Furnald lawn, between Lerner Hall and the J-school. In the event of steady rain, it will be held at the Journalism School.
Congratulations!
