WGU Missouri 2016 Commencement Guidebook Saturday, June 25, 2016 St. Louis, MO Touhill Performing Arts Center University of Missouri - St. Louis One University Blvd St. Louis, MO 63121 http://missouri.wgu.edu/commencement Page
2016 WGU MISSOURI MIXER WGU Missouri graduates, students, faculty and their guests are invited to attend the 2016 Mixer, which is held on the Friday evening before commencement. This is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with your fellow Night Owls. Dress attire: business casual * Hors d oeuvres * Cash bar * Photos with mascot Sage the Night Owl Date: Friday, June 24, 2016 Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Touhill Performing Arts Center University of Missouri - St. Louis One University Blvd St. Louis, MO 63121 Parking Information: The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Take I-70 to Florissant Road (Exit 240). Travel South on Florissant Rd. to the second University entrance at Grobman Drive. Turn right. Parking is available in Parking Lot E on the right, about 500 feet past the bridge. From Natural Bridge, turn left onto University Drive and follow it around to the right as it turns into Grobman Drive. Parking is available in the garages to the right and in Parking Lot E on the left. See map on page 7 Page 2
CEREMONY PROTOCOL Commencement creates a special and memorable experience for graduates that not only celebrates their achievement, but highlights the new directions of their dreams. We want our graduates to experience a joyful ceremony that truly recognizes their hard work and the sacrifices they have made. WGU Missouri believes mutually respectful participation by graduates and their guests is the best way to set the stage. Academic Attire for Graduates All graduating students wear approved academic attire that includes a cap, gown, and tassel. The official regalia color is NAVY, which can be purchased from our regalia vendor. Master s degree graduates will need a hood specific to their degree. We encourage you to wear comfortable, yet professional, dress attire under your gown rather than casual clothing. WGU Missouri graduates affiliated with an academic honor society may wear society pins or honor cords on their gowns. Graduates should not wear other items or decoration on their academic regalia. Commencement Etiquette To promote a respectful, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for graduates and their guests, all attendees need to observe the following guidelines. 1. Put your cell phone on vibrate or silent during the ceremony. 2. Do not leave until the entire ceremony has ended, and participate in the recessional. 3. Keep cheering respectful, avoiding disruptive outbursts to allow the families and guests of other graduates to hear their graduates names when they are read. Guest Seating Guests should be seated with their cell phones on silent or vibrate before the graduate procession begins. Guests should remain in their seats during the entire ceremony as a courtesy to graduates. The commencement venue allows photos and videos at the ceremony; however, we encourage you to take photos from your seat rather than from aisles due to fire and safety regulations. WGU Missouri has booked a professional photographer for this event, and images of each graduate and the ceremony will be available online for purchase. Babies and Young Children The commencement ceremony is recorded. We know that many graduates want young family members to be a part of this special event. For your child s comfort and as a courtesy to graduates, we encourage you to bring toys, refreshments, or other items that will keep your child quietly entertained for several hours. Caretakers should bring restless young children or crying babies to the lobby area to avoid disrupting the ceremony. To promote safety in close quarters, no babies or children will be allowed on stage or to sit with graduates. By observing these guidelines, we can have a safe, enjoyable, and memorable commencement. Page 3
GRADUATE SCHEDULE Graduate Attire: All graduates participating in the commencement ceremony must arrive wearing full academic attire: cap with tassel and gown. Master s: bring your hood. No changing rooms are available on site. 8:30 am Graduate Registration - Terrace Lobby Please report to the grad registration area where you will pick up your name card containing your name and degree. Hold on to this card. As each graduate walks on stage, s/he will hand this card to the reader, who will announce the graduate s name. Following graduate registration, an individual photo will be taken of each graduate. The graduate photo booth will be located near graduate registration. 8:45 am 9:00 am 9:30 am 9:45 am Theater Opens for Guest Seating No tickets are required for the commencement ceremony and seating is first-come first served. Graduate Class Photo - Terrace Lobby Steps Graduate lineup - Terrace Lobby After the class photo, graduates are lined up by college and degree. Processional March Theater After the stage platform party marches in, graduates will be led into the theater. Processional National Anthem Welcome by WGU Missouri Chancellor Commencement Address Graduate Speakers Conferral of Degrees Closing Remarks Recessional End of Ceremony The stage platform party and faculty will exit first. Row marshals will lead graduates out of the Theater. After the Ceremony Light refreshments will be available for graduates and their guests following the ceremony. If you so choose, you are welcome to dispose of your regalia in the collection boxes provided. Your gown, made from recycled plastic bottles, will be recycled into products such as down comforter material for pillows and blankets or carpet fibers. Page 4
KEY LOCATIONS 1 1. All graduates and guests enter through the main entrance of the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Once through the entrance doors, please proceed down the steps to the Terrace lobby for graduate registration and class photo. The Terrace lobby will be limited to graduates only. Guests are welcome to proceed directly to the theater for seating. 2 2. Following graduate registration, the class photo will be taken on the above steps. In preparation for the class photo, all graduates will be lined up by height. For the photo, all graduates will wear their tassel on the left, indicating graduation. Master s graduates will wear their hood for the class photo. After the class photo, bachelor s graduates should move their tassel back to the right side. Page 5
COMMENCEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY During the WGU Missouri Commencement, Grad Images will be shooting candid photos, speaker photos, and the graduate-receivingdiploma cover shots. Please note that two photos will be taken of you for the diploma cover shot, so maintain your handshake for the second shot. How to access your commencement photos? A few weeks after commencement, Grad Images will post those photos online. Go to www.gradimages.com to view the commencement photos. You will enter your Last Name, School Name, and Event Year from the dropdown menu. This link will also be posted on the commencement web site. For additional help, please call the Customer Service department at 1-800-261-2576 or email giservice@gradimages.net. There is no obligation to purchase. Instructions for Diploma Cover Picture with Chancellor Two pictures will be taken of the graduate and the university chancellor. Please maintain handshake for the second picture. Special Note: Still photography and video is taken at every commencement ceremony. A graduate s appearance and participation in the commencement ceremony is recorded on video tape and still photography. WGU Missouri may use some of these images in its publications (student newsletter, alumni newsletter, university newsletter, etc.) for informational purposes. Page 6
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING The Touhill Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Take I-70 to Florissant Road (Exit 240). Travel South on Florissant Rd. to the second University entrance at Grobman Drive. Turn right. Parking is available in the garage to the left, just under the bridge, or in Parking Lot E on the right, about 500 feet past the bridge. Metrolink The University of Missouri-St. Louis North Campus Metrolink Station is just steps away from the Touhill s Main Entrance. Touhill Performing Arts Center Page 7
COMMENCEMENT SEATING Important Reminders Theater doors open at 8:45 a.m. Tickets are NOT required for the commencement ceremony. No guest reserved seating. Seating is first-come, first-served. Guests with baby strollers will need to park their strollers in the designated stroller area. Please keep in mind that aisles must be kept clear at all times to follow fire and safety regulations. WGU Missouri seeks to provide equal access to commencement ceremonies to its graduating students/guests with known disabilities. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be sent as early as possible to mocommencement@wgu.edu. Because requests for ASL interpreters, special needs seating, and wheelchair seating require significant time to arrange and implement, these requests should be received by WGU Missouri no later than 72 hours prior to the commencement ceremony. Page 8
ORIENTATION WEBINARS & RECYCLING Commencement Orientation Webinar To ensure everyone is prepared and ready for commencement, we will be hosting an orientation webinar to review the commencement ceremony. Please note the following date and time: Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 Time: 12:00 pm CT Please join the webinar by logging into http://wgu.adobeconnect.com/arc Toll Free Dial-In Number: 1-866-962-6634 Participant/Conference Passcode: 67963877 We look forward to greeting and meeting you at the upcoming commencement ceremony! Optional: Recycle Your Gown Graduates will be wearing regalia made from 100% postconsumer recycled plastic bottles! Fewer plastic bottles will be choking our landfills because for every WGU Missouri graduate walking at commencement, an average of 23 plastic bottles were used to manufacture their cap and gown. If you have no desire to keep your regalia after the ceremony, Oak Hall Cap and Gown will provide recycling boxes for you to properly dispose of your cap or gown. The boxes will be located at various spots around the commencement area and clearly identified for their use. Oak Hall Cap and Gown has partnered with recycling companies that can take your disposed regalia and turn them into recycled products (such as down comforter material for pillows and blankets or carpet fibers). So if you have decided that you do not want to keep your regalia, rest assured that your cap and gown will not end up in the landfill. *Please note that you may remove the zipper pull off your gown as a keepsake before recycling your gown. Page 9
LET S STAY CONNECTED Join in the commencement excitement by tagging your photos and updates with #WGUMOGrad on Facebook or Twitter. After graduation, keep up to date with everything WGU Missouri offers its alumni. We regularly plan networking, social, and volunteer opportunities for our alumni, students, and faculty. The best way to stay connected is through social media. Like us on Facebook! Tweet with us! Follow our blog! Page 10
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