Information for Degree Candidates

• Notification of your intent to participate in commencement is essential. You must complete a Participation Confirmation Card and return it to the Office of the Registrar no later than Friday, November 13, 2009.  (Degree candidates who attended the Grad Fair have already submitted the confirmation card.)  If mailing the card, please place in an envelope and address it as follows:

The cap and gown may be kept by the graduate as a memento of the occasion.  Candidates should allow sufficient time to iron or steam-press their gown prior to the ceremony.

• Names of all degree candidates in attendance will be called during the ceremony. Instructions for the assembly and Grand March will be provided when picking up caps and gowns. There will be no rehearsal for students; marshals will guide and instruct the graduates for the processional and individual recognition portion of the ceremony. The ceremony is expected to last approximately two hours.

9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Degree candidates assemble in Diddle Arena Auxiliary Gyms. Pinning ceremony sponsored by Alumni Association.

9:30 a.m.
Pre-commencement music begins in Diddle Arena.

9:40 a.m.
Students depart the assembly location and begin marching.

10:00 a.m.
Commencement ceremony begins with the Grand March of the platform party, faculty and degree candidates.

• By tradition, the commencement ceremony is a formal, dignified event to honor the academic achievement of scholars.  To help preserve the decorum of the event, it is requested that you exercise etiquette appropriate to the occasion.

• Respect your fellow graduates by holding your applause until all graduates have been recognized.
• As a courtesy to your fellow graduates, all graduates are requested to stay until the conclusion of the ceremony.

VIDEO AND WEBCAST

• The commencement ceremony will be broadcast live by WKYU-PBS cable channel 24.

• DVD's of the ceremony are available for $35 each and can be ordered at the commencement ceremony. Orders after December 19 can be placed at www.wkyupbs.org and inquiries should be make to WKYU-PBS at (800) 599-2424.

• Commencement ceremonies will also be webcast live on WKU Sports.tv Streaming Video available at http://www.wkusports.com. To be able to view the ceremony online, you must have a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player. To download the latest version of Windows Media Player from the Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp

• Please advise your family members and friends that only press photographers and the official commencement photographer will be allowed on the ground level during the ceremony. For your convenience, we have made arrangements with GradTrak Graduation Images to record the moment graduates are personally recognized. You will receive passport-sized color proofs of these photos within 5-7 days of the ceremony. You may place your order or obtain answers to questions by emailing GradTrak at service@gradimages.com or by calling 800-261-2576. There is no obligation to purchase, and GradTrak Graduation Images guarantees complete satisfaction.
  

• Your diploma will be mailed to you at the address listed on your Application for Graduation; however, if the address to which the diploma is to be mailed has changed since filing the graduation application, you should contact Cheryl Hills at (270) 745-5411 or Cheryl.Hills@wku.edu.  Diplomas for Fall graduates will be mailed approximately 6 weeks following commencement.
   
• Please make certain that all obligations such as the return of books to the library, arrangements for repayment of loans, parking tickets, etc., have been fulfilled prior to leaving the campus.  Final transcripts and diplomas will not be issued to students with outstanding obligations.

• Associate and baccalaureate degree candidates may be recognized with honors if they have a cumulative overall GPA and cumulative WKU GPA of 3.4 or higher (based upon the academic record in existence at the beginning of the 2009 fall semester).  Associate degree candidates must have earned a minimum of 27 hours in residence (at WKU); baccalaureate degree candidates must have at least 54 residence hours.  Honor cords will be distributed with the cap and gown.

• Commencement weekend will be very busy with other activities in the Bowling Green community.  If overnight accommodations are necessary for your family and guests, it is recommended that reservations be made immediately.

• Commencement participants and guests are strongly advised to plan their arrival with sufficient time to locate parking. Both parking structures will be available for parking. In addition, several parking lots are located within comfortable walking distance of Diddle Arena. Refer to the map of parking locations located at www.wku.edu/transportation. A limited number of parking spaces have been reserved in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium for all individuals who posses a handicapped parking permit, and that reserved area is located in front of Diddle Arena across from DUC.

  FOOD SERVICES

• Java City and Energy Zone, located in the Downing University Center, will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Commencement day. Fresh Food Company will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Questions may be directed to the Office of the Registrar, (270) 745-3351.