Information for Spring 2016 Commencement Ceremony (ADULT STUDIES/ONLINE/GRADUATE STUDENTS) Congratulations upon your anticipated graduation from Belhaven University. Please review all of the information enclosed. Listed below are very important items that need to be carefully followed: Commencement Exercises will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall, 255 East Pascagoula Street, Jackson, Mississippi. (See enclosed map.) Regalia & Tickets (10 per graduate) Pick Up will be Tuesday, April 19, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on the 2 nd floor of the Warren A. Hood Library (outside the Registrar s office). Regalia/tickets will not be released until all balances and holds are cleared. (See Section II for more information.) If you are unable to pick up regalia and tickets on April 19 th, you must contact the Registrar s office to make arrangements to pick up regalia/tickets and/or to confirm your plans to participate in the ceremony by Friday, April 22 nd. Regalia and tickets for Atlanta, Chattanooga, Houston, Memphis, and Orlando students who are participating in the Jackson ceremony will be mailed directly to your campus and staff at your campus will coordinate regalia pick up. Regalia and tickets for Online students OUTSIDE of the Jackson area will NOT be mailed prior to the ceremony. Please contact the Registrar s office to make arrangements to pick up regalia and tickets. If arrangements are not made by April 22 nd, regalia will be returned and tickets redistributed to other graduates. Report to the large room on the bottom floor of Thalia Mara Hall by 1:30 p.m. dressed in your academic regalia for lineup. Attire under regalia shall be Sunday Church attire (See Section III for more specific information.) Walking Cards and Honor Cords will be distributed during line up. Honor Cords will be given to those Baccalaureate candidates who have completed their degree requirements and have earned the appropriate GPA. For Honors Calculations, please see the Belhaven Catalog or Graduation Information on the Registrar s webpage. We are providing KEEPSAKE regalia. Should you need to iron any piece, start with the LOWEST heat setting for your iron and test a small area first. Increase the heat, as needed, to release the wrinkles. Be careful this material will burn, and we won t have regalia to replace damaged gowns/hoods. Your name and degree WILL be printed on your diploma and in the program as it appears in Blazenet. Actions resulting in legal name changes (marriage, divorce, etc.) must occur prior to the completion of your degree (last day of class). In order to be reflected in the commencement program and on diplomas for degrees completed in spring, all name change forms and proper identification shall be submitted by April 15, 2016.
To: All ADULT STUDIES/ONLINE/GRADUATE Degree Candidates From: Donna Weeks, Registrar Re: Jackson Spring Commencement Exercises May 7, 2016 2:30 p.m. Date: March 18, 2016 The following information is very important for ADULT STUDIES/ONLINE/GRADUATE graduates participating in the Spring Commencement. Please pay careful attention to all details. Make sure to call Lee Craig (601-968-5922) in the registrar s office if you decide not to participate in the ceremony. I. CLEARANCES Please make sure all debts to Belhaven University are cleared through Student Financial Services or the Belhaven Business Office. All parking tickets, library fines, etc. must be paid and Chapel requirements must be fulfilled before regalia/tickets can be picked up, receive diplomas, or have a transcript released. You will not be allowed to pick up regalia until all balances are paid in full and all holds are cleared. II. REGALIA AND TICKETS Caps, gowns, and tickets (10) will be available for pick up on Tuesday, April 19, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on the 2 nd floor of Warren A. Hood Library (outside of the Registrar s office) on the Peachtree Street campus. Graduates who are unable to pick up regalia and tickets at the above time must contact the Registrar s office (registrar@belhaven.edu) to make arrangements to pick up regalia/tickets and/or to confirm your plans to participate in the ceremony by Friday, April 22 nd. If arrangements are not made by April 22 nd, regalia will be returned and tickets redistributed to other graduates. Regalia is yours to keep. This includes the cap, gown, tassel, and hood (if applicable). This academic year marks the first time Belhaven University has used keepsake regalia, and we are excited to be able to provide this to you. The regalia we have chosen is made from a polyethylene blend. Should you need to iron your regalia, start with the LOWEST heat setting on your iron and test in a small area. Increase the heat as needed to release the wrinkles without burning the material used in the gown and/or hood. Each guest (including infants/small children) is required to have a ticket to enter the auditorium for the ceremony. There will be no extra tickets to give out at the ceremony. III. APPROPRIATE DRESS FOR GRADUATION AND ARRIVAL TIME AND PLACE Graduates are to meet no later than 1:30 p.m. in the large room on the bottom floor of Thalia Mara Hall dressed in regalia for instructions and lineup. This area is reserved for graduates only. Commencement is a formal academic occasion. Appropriate dress with the robe is suggested as follows: WOMEN: Dress, dark shoes, subdued jewelry MEN: Dark trousers, dark shoes, dark socks, and tie (not a bow tie), white or light-colored dress shirt; no coat necessary. NOTE: No distracting jewelry, e.g. large earrings or facial jewelry. The mortarboard (cap) is worn flat on your head with the brim parallel to the ground. Tassels are worn to the left. Do not decorate the mortarboard. Those who graduate with academic honors will wear Belhaven University honor cords for the graduation commencement ceremonies. Graduates are not allowed to wear any other regalia from societies, sororities, or organizations not affiliated directly with Belhaven University. There is no place for storage of tote bags, cell phones, purses, or other items located in this area. Please leave all bags, other clothing, etc. with family members. Staff will not be responsible for items during the ceremony.
IV. LINEUP AND PROCESSIONAL Graduates will be lined up alphabetically and by degree. Graduates receiving Masters Degrees will be lined up together followed by the Bachelors, and then Associates. Graduates will process down the appropriate aisle in a single file line. Please remain in your assigned place in the line. When filing into the rows, please stand in front of your seat to be sure you have a seat when instructed to sit down. Remain standing for the invocation. Men should remove their caps for the invocation and put them back on for the remainder of the ceremony until the benediction. Following the invocation all graduates will be seated. Programs will be under each seat. V. DIPLOMA MARCH COMMENCEMENT 2016 Announcement for conferring of degrees o Would all the graduates please stand? Announcement by the Provost o Confer the degree (President and Provost) o Provost - Will the first row of Master graduates please come forward and the other rows may now be seated. o Graduates will walk up the right-side steps to the stage. You will not be allowed to walk across the stage without a walking card. o Start the walk across the stage. Stop in front of the first podium Give Dr. Fredericks your name card. Aisles must remain clear As he reads your name, walk a few more steps to at all times. Family receive your diploma cover. Diploma covers are members are asked to on a table beside Dr. Fredericks. stay seated during the A Belhaven Board Member/Faculty member will hand diploma processional, you the diploma cover remain in the auditorium Take the diploma cover with your left hand for the entire ceremony, Shake hands with your right hand. and take pictures before After shaking hands continue to walk across the stage the ceremony or from Continue to where Dr. Parrott is standing their seats. Stop and pose with Dr. Parrott Place the diploma cover in front of you Hold this pose so your graduation picture with Dr. Parrott can be taken at this time Once the picture is taken, continue to the steps and exit the stage Continue to the row where you were seated and sit down immediately. Do not wait on your entire row to return before sitting down---so people behind you can see the stage. o Once all graduates have completed the diploma march and the ceremony is over Registrar assistants will lead graduates out row by row, starting with the row closest to the stage. VI. DIPLOMA PICKUP Graduates will recess into the line-up room for diploma pick up. Stay in line until you have turned in your regalia (gown and hood) and picked up your diploma. Diplomas will be given out to all graduates who have completed all academic requirements, applied for graduation by the application deadline, cleared all financial obligations, and cleared all holds (chapel, library, etc.) prior to graduation. After the ceremony, diplomas will be available for pick up during regular office hours in the Registrar s office located in Room 203 in Preston Hall on the Peachtree Campus. VII. ANNOUNCEMENTS, DIPLOMA FRAMES, AND CLASS RINGS Please contact the Belhaven Bookstore in the Student Center for information on graduation announcements, diploma frames, and class rings. You can reach the bookstore at 601-968-5910. You can order class rings and diploma frames online through the Belhaven bookstore at www.belhaven.edu/bookstore choose Belhaven Online Bookstore. Announcements can be ordered online at www.balfour.com. Choose Belhaven University Jackson, MS. VIII. PURCHASE OF GRADUATION PICTURES Photography will be provided by Grad Images, 3490 Martin Hurst Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312, phone: 1-800-261-2576, and website: www.gradimages.com. Purchase of photographs is optional. Approximately 48 hours after the ceremony, proofs will be sent directly to each student s email address, with a link to view them on the Grad Images website (www.gradimages.com). These transactions will be between the student and Grad Images. Graduates are photographed individually as they shake hands with Dr. Parrott (Belhaven University President). Please be sure the Belhaven University Registrar s office has your current email and physical address. There will be NO school sponsored group photography.
GRADUATION GUIDELINES REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION: PLEASE REFER TO CATALOGUE o Of Note: Minimum of 124 hours for Bachelor degree GPA requirement (both overall and in the major) Transfer credits APPLICATION PROCESS: (as of July 1, 2004) All students, all campuses apply online and pay online o Student applies online o Pay graduation fee before degree will be posted to transcript and diploma may be released o Give cap/gown sizes at time of online application (application must be complete) Payment goes to the Belhaven Business Office Application goes to the Registrar s Office All application deadlines as stated in academic calendar enforced o Eliminate all last minute applicants o After deadlines, students may apply but not participate in graduation until next available ceremony Caps/gowns must be ordered Checkout must be completed Honors must be calculated DOSS/Registrar notifies potential graduates of deadlines to apply for graduation HONORS CALCULATION: Honors are awarded to students earning Bachelor degrees only; not for Master and Associate degrees Calculated after all final grades are posted Calculated/Awarded according to Belhaven cumulative quality points Will be announced only at the time of the graduation ceremony lineup Graduation With Honors : o A minimum of 45 academic hours carrying quality points at Belhaven o A minimum of 3.4 GPA at Belhaven Graduation with Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude: o A minimum of 60 academic hours carrying quality point at Belhaven o A Belhaven career cumulative GPA that matches the minimum GPA required for the honor. o Cum Laude a minimum of 3.4 GPA at Belhaven o Magna Cum Laude a minimum of 3.7 GPA at Belhaven o Summa Cum Laude a minimum of 3.9 GPA at Belhaven
CEREMONY PARTICIPATION: Students who have completed all requirements, have no debts with the university and have been checked out as final prior to the graduation ceremony date o May have honors recognition (Bachelor degrees only) o Will have degree conferred o Will pick up diploma at graduation ceremony Students completing requirements within the month of graduation but not before the graduation ceremony o Will not be recognized for honors (Bachelor degrees only) May participate in next available ceremony if they want honors recognition (but may participate in only one ceremony) Will receive honor cord after degree is completed o Will receive diploma after degree is completed Students completing requirements for August graduation may participate according to the guidelines for ceremony participation and recognition either in the May ceremony just prior to their August graduation completion or the December graduation ceremony following the completion of their August degree requirements Students from any of the distance campuses may participate in the Jackson ceremony Students may participate in only one graduation ceremony per degree (i.e. Associates, Bachelors, Masters) Ceremony program o o Students may be listed in only one program per degree Students not completing requirements and not participating in the ceremony may walk in the next available ceremony upon completion of degree requirements Students owing a balance to Belhaven University o Will receive diploma within 4 weeks of notification that stops have been lifted. DIPLOMAS: Diplomas are not mailed to graduates. Graduates walking in the commencement ceremony will pick up their diplomas following the ceremony. Diplomas are available for pickup in Registrar s office for all Jackson students and in the Office of the Director of Student Services for all distance campuses TRANSCRIPTS: Degrees will be posted to transcripts upon completion of all degree requirements according to the following schedule: o December graduates: no later than the first work week after Christmas break o May graduates no later than the end of the week following the ceremony o August graduates no later than the end of the week following the August grad date Students must request transcripts through the website
Map to Thalia Mara Hall from I-55 Thalia Mara Hall 255 East Pascagoula Street Jackson, Mississippi 39211