Commencement Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 Commencement Frequently Asked Questions General Commencement Questions What is the difference between graduation and commencement? Am I required to attend the commencement ceremony? When is the 2016 Commencement Ceremony? What is the deadline to register for the ceremony? I graduated prior to Can I still participate? Registration/Eligibility How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the ceremony? Do I need to complete both the Petition to Graduate and the Commencement Registration? When should I submit my Petition to Graduate form? What does the Petition to Graduate fee cover? Do I still need to complete a Petition to Graduate form even if I m not going to attend the commencement ceremony? When should I submit the Commencement Registration from? How many guests am I allowed to bring? I will be bringing my child(ren). Are they required to have tickets? International Participants I need to get a Visa for myself and my family to attend the commencement ceremony. Can you help?

2 Ceremony How do I know which ceremony I will be walking in? Who can I contact if I or a guest will require special accommodations for a disability during the commencement ceremony? What time do I need to arrive at the ceremony? How can my family and friends who are unable to attend view the ceremony? What does the commencement ceremony fee cover? Regalia/Honors Where can I purchase commencement items? What GPA do I need to graduate with honors? How do I know if I need to order the honor cord along with my cap & gown? Can I still order my cap & gown even if I cannot attend the commencement ceremony? Diplomas Will my diploma be presented to me at commencement if I attend? Do I need to bring my diploma to the ceremony? When will my degree be conferred (what will my graduation date be)? What will be the size of my diploma or certificate? Can I order a larger diploma? When will I receive my diploma or certificate? Will my honors be printed on the diploma? Can I change the address for my transcript and diploma to be mailed?

3 Can I change my name on my diploma? How can I order a replacement diploma? What is the difference between graduation and commencement? Many times, people use the terms graduation and commencement as one and the same. However, here at CSU, we use the term graduation to refer to the date that your degree was officially conferred. Commencement is the ceremony that celebrates the achievement of earning your degree. Am I required to attend the commencement ceremony? No, the ceremonies are celebratory events and graduates are not required to attend. When is the 2016 Commencement Ceremony? The Ceremony will be held on October 28, 2016 at the Orange Beach Event Center at The Wharf. There are two ceremony times: 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. What is the deadline to register for the ceremony? The deadline to register for the ceremony is September 19, 2016 or when maximum capacity of the venue has been reached, whichever occurs first. I graduated prior to Can I still participate? Yes. The ceremony is open to any graduates of CSU regardless of the year their degree was conferred.

4 How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the ceremony? Candidates may walk in the commencement ceremony provided they have: Submitted a petition to graduate and have received audit results. Completed all graduation requirements or have submitted their enrollment registrations for any remaining course(s) required for program completion at the time of graduation registration. A complete list of eligibility can be found at Do I need to complete both the Petition to Graduate and Commencement Registration if I plan on attending the ceremony in October? Yes! The Petition to Graduate and the Commencement Registration from are both required if you plan on participating in the ceremony. The Petition to Graduate is required for every student at CSU regardless of ceremony participation, and is an eligibility requirement for anyone who chooses to attend commencement. Commencement Registration is only required of students who choose to participate in the ceremony. When should I submit my Petition to Graduate form? We encourage students to submit their Petition to Graduate form when they are within 12 semester hours from completing their program. This will allow the Degree Auditor enough time to begin the initial audit process and respond back to the student with the results. This also gives confirmation to the student that they are on the right track with their remaining courses and that there are no surprises at the end. You can find the Petition form by logging in to the mycsu Student Portal. What does the Petition to Graduate fee cover? The Petition to Graduate is the actual request from the student that is necessary to graduate the student from their program and receive a diploma and transcript. The petition cost of $100 covers the processing time of the petition, the initial audit of admission requirements, official transcripts, transfer credit validity and residency requirements the final audit of completed courses, grades and GPA to meet degree requirements, processing of the graduation which includes an order to be sent to an outside source for diploma printing, 1 official transcript and postage, and the diploma itself presented in a leather bound folder, and the shipping charges to send to student.

5 Do I still need to complete a Petition to Graduate form even if I m not going to attend the commencement ceremony? Yes. All students who wish to receive a diploma must complete the Petition to Graduate form in order to have their degree conferred. The commencement ceremony is an optional event celebrating the graduate s achievement! When should I submit the Commencement Registration from? The Commencement Registration form should be completed once you meet the eligibility requirements, but prior to the registration deadline. Please note, the deadline to register for the ceremony is September 19, 2016 or when maximum capacity of the venue has been reached, whichever occurs first. How many guests am I allowed to bring? Each graduate may bring up to four guests. I will be bringing my child(ren). Are they required to have tickets? Any children who will need a chair will also need a ticket. If they will be sitting in someone s lap, no ticket is needed. Please keep in mind, the Event Center does not have stadium seating and all chairs are on a level floor. Be considerate of the people behind you when determining if your child can sit on someone s lap. All children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. I need to get a Visa for me and my family to attend the commencement ceremony. Can you help? For our international students, CSU can provide an official letter of invitation for the graduate only, showing that they have completed their degree requirements and qualify to attend the ceremony if they choose. We cannot include any family members or friends in the letter, only the name of the graduate. The graduate and family members can then take this documentation to the officials in their country to see if it will help toward getting a visa to attend the ceremony. CSU does not provide any other Visa services.

6 How do I know which ceremony I will be walking in? Once your registration for commencement is received and processed, you will receive a confirmation with more information, including the specific ceremony time. Who can I contact if I or a guest will require special accommodations for a disability during the commencement ceremony? Please contact graduation-registration@columbiasouthern.edu at least 4 weeks prior to the ceremony date. What time do I need to arrive at the ceremony? You will need to arrive 1 hour prior to your ceremony time. How can my family and friends who are unable to attend view the ceremony? CSU will stream the ceremonies in real-time for family and friends unable to attend in person. This link will be shared to you via in your commencement packet, and will also be located at the day of the ceremony. What does the commencement ceremony fee cover? The commencement ceremony is completely optional in regards to graduating and is actually a time of celebration for the student with family, friends, and other students. The $135 ceremony fee covers the student and up to 4 guests to attend. We have to secure and rent an auditorium large enough to house the group. We have to provide employees off site to work the ceremonies, security officers, rental of chairs, stage, etc, purchase decorations, pay a guest speaker and their costs of attending, allow for adjunct faculty to be present, open house expenses and the alumni reception on Thursday evening. Where can I purchase commencement items? Regalia, printed announcements, class rings and diploma frames can be ordered through Herff Jones. The CSU Bookstore also offers diploma frames and alumni merchandise.

7 What GPA do I need to graduate with honors? In order for a student enrolled in a bachelor s degree program to graduate summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude honors, they must earn the following cumulative GPA: Summa cum laude cumulative GPA Magna cum laude cumulative GPA Cum laude cumulative GPA Graduates must have no grades lower than a C, and must not have repeated any course taken at CSU due to non-satisfactory grades. Honors are not awarded for associate or graduate degree programs. How do I know if I need to order the honor cord along with my cap & gown? If you are walking in the ceremony to be recognized for your Bachelor s degree and received honors, you will need to order the honor cord along with your cap & gown. Associate s, Master s, and DBA degrees do not qualify for honors. The honor cord should appear as an option when ordering your cap & gown through the Herff Jones website. Can I still order my cap & gown even if I cannot attend the commencement ceremony? Yes, please order through the Herff Jones website as if you were attending the ceremony. Will my diploma be presented to me at commencement if I attend? No. Diplomas are mailed directly to you upon degree conferral. Do I need to bring my diploma to the ceremony? No, you do not need to bring your diploma to the ceremony. Graduates will be presented a commemorative certificate on stage.

8 When will my degree be conferred (what will my graduation date be)? We confer degrees (graduate students) two times each month, typically mid-month and end of month. Initiated by the Petition to Graduate form, the audit process begins and will include reviewing that all requirements have been met (academic and financial). Once this process is complete and student is approved to graduate, student will receive a confirmation from a Degree Auditor, which will indicate what their official graduation date will be and when they can expect to receive their transcript and diploma. The actual date of conferral will depend on what date the student officially meets all of the requirements. What will be the size of my diploma or certificate? All diplomas and certificates are printed by a third party vendor on official 8 1/2 x 11 diploma paper. Can I order a larger diploma? Yes. Those who have already received an awarded degree can choose to order a larger 11 x 14 diploma. Please contact degreeauditors@columbiasouthern.edu for ordering information. The cost for a larger diploma is currently $25. Once the order form is received and processed, the student can expect to receive the larger diploma within 4-6 weeks. It will be shipped directly to the student from the vendor. Signatures on the diploma will be of the current University officials but will still display the student s original degree and graduation date. When will I receive my diploma or certificate? Diplomas are generally ordered within 3-5 business days AFTER the date of conferral. Once diplomas are printed by the vendor, they are returned to CSU and will be packaged up and mailed to each student individually. Students typically receive their diplomas and/or certificates within 6-8 weeks after their date of conferral. Will my honors be printed on the diploma? Yes. If you are eligible to be recognized for honors, it will appear on both the official transcript and the diploma. There is nothing extra that is needed from the student to be recognized with honors. It is automatically something that is looked at during the petition process.

9 Can I change the address for my transcript and diploma to be mailed? Yes, please contact a Degree Auditor (degreeauditors@columbiasouthern.edu) as soon as you know your new address. Diplomas will be mailed to the address that is on the Petition to Graduate form unless we are notified by the student. Can I change my name on my diploma? Your diploma will state your name as it appears on the Petition to Graduate form. Please be sure it is spelled correctly. Any name changes done AFTER the diploma is ordered will result in needing to request a replacement diploma. Please contact a Degree Auditor (degreeauditors@columbiasouthern.edu) for questions about your name on your diploma. How can I order a replacement diploma? Please contact degreeauditors@columbiasouthern.edu for ordering information. The cost to order a replacement diploma is $25. The diploma will be ordered on the next diploma order. Signatures on the diploma will be of the current University officials but will still display the student s original degree and graduation date.