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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
How
many tickets will I receive?
How
long does the ceremony usually last?
Where
and what time should I arrive?
Do
I need to wear a cap and gown?
Is
there a graduation rehearsal?
Where
should I have my guests park?
How
do I request special seating for a guest
in a wheelchair or with other special needs?
Is
there a snow date?
When
do I receive my diploma?
How
do I join the Alumni Association?
THE
DAY OF THE CEREMONY
UMBC’s Winter Commencement
will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2008 at
10 a.m. in the Retriever Activities Center (RAC)
Arena.
Out of courtesy to your fellow graduates,
you are expected to arrive on time and stay for
the entire program, which will last approximately
90 minutes.
There is no Commencement rehearsal.
Instructions for line-up, marching and the awarding
of degrees should be followed carefully on the
day of the ceremony.
Important Note: Please
leave all valuables at home or with a friend
or family member when you arrive at the RAC. There
will be no secured area for personal belongings,
such as coats, cameras, purses or book bags. Smoking
is not permitted inside the RAC.
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LINE-UP
INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS
Students
receiving master's and Ph.D. degrees should
report to the lower level (basement) of the
Math/Psych building by 9 a.m. Come to the graduate
student assembly area to check in and obtain
your floor pass. No one will
be allowed to participate in the ceremony without
a floor pass, so please keep it with you at
all times and remember to bring it on stage. If
you have been certified for graduation, the
floor pass will be pre-printed with your name
(and your mentor's name, for Ph.D. candidates).
Graduates will line up alphabetically within
each degree category and program discipline.
Ph.D. candidates will march in with and will
be seated with their mentors.
The procession will begin promptly at 9:40
a.m., at which time the candidates and Ph.D. mentors
will lead the platform party and faculty and staff
processions into the arena. The order of
procession is: Ph.D. candidates with mentors, then
master’s degree candidates. Ph.D. candidates
and their mentors will be grouped by graduate program.
The Ph.D. candidates will march in with their mentors
and be seated with them. Master’s degree candidates
will be lined up alphabetically within each degree
category and program discipline.
When it is time to receive the degrees, a commencement
staff volunteer will escort each row of candidates
and the mentors of the Ph.D. graduates to the
ramp that will be used to walk onto the stage. Be
sure to bring your floor pass with you because
you will hand it to the reader before you walk
across the stage. (Please do not bring flags, signs
or other visible distractions on the stage. These
items will be confiscated.)
Ph.D. candidates and their mentors will walk to
center stage where Provost Hirshman will be standing.
To be hooded, the Ph.D. candidates will step down
to the lower platform and the mentors will stand
opposite of Provost Hirshman. After receiving
their hoods and degrees, the Ph.D. candidates and
their mentors should walk towards President Hrabowski
and other guests on the stage to receive a congratulatory
handshake.
After handing their floor pass to the commencement
volunteer, students receiving their master’s
degree will walk to the center of the stage where
President Hrabowski, Provost Hirshman and Interim
Vice Provost Rutledge will be standing with other
guests to congratulate them with a handshake.
After receiving their acknowledgement, all candidates
should proceed down the center stairs and return
to their seats on the arena floor.
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Academic
RegaliA FOR Graduate School STUDENTS
All graduate students participating
in the Commencement ceremony MUST wear
a cap and gown of the appropriate color and style
that may only be obtained from the UMBC Bookstore
Graduation Center. Candidates participating
in the ceremony are prohibited from wearing a borrowed
cap or gown from an alumnus/a or another student.
NO EXCEPTIONS. Note: There
is no additional fee to the students for master’s
and Ph.D. regalia, as it has been included in the
graduation fee.
The dates for ordering regalia at
the Bookstore Graduation Center are Monday, October
6 and Tuesday, October 7 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and Wednesday, October 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regalia
can also be purchased online through Friday,
October 17. (The Web site will not operate
after this date.) Beginning October 13, candidates
who order regalia will be assessed a $20 late fee.
All forms of payment usually accepted in the Bookstore
are allowed.
Regalia must be picked
up in the Bookstore Graduation Center on Monday,
December 1 through Wednesday, December 3, from
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Bookstore will not be responsible
for regalia or tickets unclaimed by Tuesday,
December 9, the last day of classes.
Students earning master’s
degrees wear hoods marked with bands of color indicating
the degree earned. Master’s candidates wear
their caps, gowns and hoods in the procession.
Master’s hoods, along with the rest of your
regalia, must be returned to the Bookstore immediately
following the ceremony.
Master of Arts (M.A.) – white velvet band
Master of Science (M.S.) – gold velvet band
Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) – dark blue
velvet band
The doctoral degree awarded by the
Graduate School is the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.),
signified by a dark blue velvet band on the hood.
Ph.D. candidates wear their caps and gowns in the
procession and carry their hoods on the left arm,
with the velvet band at the wrist. The hood is
yours to keep, but the rest of your regalia must
be returned to the Bookstore Graduation Center
immediately following the ceremony.
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ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION
As a graduate of UMBC, you are automatically
a member of the UMBC Alumni Association. There
are no dues or fees. We hope you’ll stay
connected with your alumni friends, classmates
and University associates by taking advantage of
the many events, programs and services offered
by the Association and the Chapter of Young Alumni.
Be sure to check out all of the special Alumni
benefits that you’re eligible for – everything
from great rates on consumer services to short-term
healthcare coverage –
by visiting the Alumni Association Web site and online directory, Retriever
Net, at www.umbc.edu/alumni.
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APPLICATION
FOR GRADUATION
The deadline for graduate
students to apply for December 2008 graduation
has passed. (It was September 11.) The deadline
for the May 2009 Graduate School Commencement is
February 9, 2009. Applications can be obtained
from the Graduate School's Web site at www.umbc.edu/gradschool/procedures/forms.html.
There is a $110 application fee for master’s
candidates, $150 for Ph.D. graduates and an additional
$5 renewal fee to update the application. For more
information, contact Linda Thomas at 410-455-2440
or Kathy Miller at 410-455-3269.
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BOOKSTORE
GRADUATION CENTER
In addition to ordering academic
regalia through the Bookstore, you can purchase
standard (non-personalized) graduation announcements
and order diploma frames, featuring a mat border
with the seal of the University.
The Bookstore is open Monday through
Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from
8:30 to 4 p.m. The Bookstore telephone number is
410-455-3807.
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CaMPUS
MAP
A campus map and directions to UMBC
are available online.
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Career
Services Center
Career
Services is your "one-stop" avenue
for exploring career options, sharpening your
job search strategy and connecting with employers
from all over the country that want to hire UMBC
talent! Visit the Career Services Center (Math/Psych
building, Room 204) and meet one-on-one with
a career specialist who will help you clarify
your motivated strengths and career objective,
as well as plan a targeted job search. Walk-in
sessions are available from 2 to 4 p.m. every
Monday through Friday for quick questions and
resume critiques. The Career Services Center
also affords you the opportunity to interview
and meet with employers through job fairs, on-campus
interviews and a multitude of job listings that
are accessible through UMBCworks.
The Career Services Center also collects
information on what UMBC students do with their
degrees via the annual Graduating Student Report.
Graduating students are asked to complete the short
survey via email or at cap and gown pick-up. Information
collected allows the campus to compile relevant
and recent data about employment offers, graduate/professional
school acceptances, and salary averages to share
with faculty, employers and perhaps most importantly,
current and future UMBC students. Check out www.careers.umbc.edu for
a comprehensive view of programs, events and opportunities
to create career satisfaction. For more information,
e-mail careers@umbc.edu or
call 410-455-2216.
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CHANGE
OF ADDRESS
Graduate students should
contact the Graduate School if
your mailing address after December 18 will be
different from the one listed on your application
for graduation. Master's students should contact
Linda Thomas at 410-455-2440 or lthomas@umbc.edu.
Doctoral students should contact Kathy Miller at
410-455-3269 or kamiller@umbc.edu.
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Class
Rings
You may order your class ring from
the Herff
Jones Company for discounts that range
from $50 to $150. Company sales representatives
will be on campus at the Bookstore on December
1 through 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A $25 deposit
is required at time of order.
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Commemorative
video
This is the day you’ve
dreamed of, worked toward and eagerly anticipated.
Now, you can revisit the memories of your 2008
commencement anytime you’d like and share
the memories with those closest to you. To purchase
a VHS or DVD copy of the graduation ceremony, please click
here to order online from VPC, Inc.
The deadline to order a copy of the ceremony will
be January 25, 2009. If you have questions, please
contact VPC, Inc. at 410-526-9100 x307. Order forms
are available at the Bookstore and will be available
at Commencement.
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DIPLOMAS
Doctoral students not
participating in the ceremony may pick up their
diplomas in the Graduate School beginning on December
18. Master's
degree diplomas will be available at the
Graduate School, on the second floor of the Administration
building, after January 19,
2009. Master's
students wishing to have diplomas mailed should
contact Linda Thomas at 410-455-2440 or lthomas@umbc.edu.
Doctoral students should contact Kathy Miller at
410-455-3269 or kamiller@umbc.edu.
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GUESTS
The front doors of the RAC
will open at 9 a.m. All guests entering
the Arena must show their general admission tickets.
These tickets are for unassigned open seating
on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Commencement procession
begins promptly at 9:40 a.m., at which time the
doors to the RAC will temporarily close. In observance
of the National Anthem, guests will not be seated
while the anthem is performed. When the doors
reopen following the singing of the National
Anthem, guests will be seated as space permits.
Guests sitting in the overflow area
should go to Lecture Hall III in the Administration
building, where there will be a closed-circuit
broadcast of the Commencement ceremony.
Please allow adequate time
to drive to campus, park and walk to the RAC
Arena. Remember that rush hour traffic in the
Baltimore area may be heavy, as the ceremony
is being held on a weekday morning.
For information on hotels near campus,
click the link below.
Hotel
Accommodations
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Inclement
Weather
There is no alternative
date for the December 18 ceremony.
For the most reliable information
during inclement weather, consult UMBC’s
homepage under the “Events” or “What’s
New” sections or call the Hotline Telephone
Numbers at (410-455/8881/8882/8883/8884/8885).
Although the University distributes
closing information to regional news outlets, do
not depend on the news media for complete, accurate
and up-to-date information.
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PARKING
Please allow time to park
and walk to the RAC arena.
Signs will be posted on campus to
assist you in locating appropriate parking lots.
General parking for graduates and
their guests will be available along Hilltop Circle
and in any non-gated parking lots including The
Commons Garage. You will not need to pay any metered
parking on campus if you elect to park at a metered
parking space on Commencement day.
The top deck of the Administration
Drive Garage will be reserved for handicapped parking
only. All guests must display either handicapped
hang tags or license plates. Permits are required
for other handicapped parking spaces on campus
as well.
There will be a designated drop-off
area in front of the RAC on Administration Drive
for those family members and guests who may not
be able to walk long distances.
Commencement participants and guests
are strongly encouraged to share rides to alleviate
parking difficulties. Parking is not permitted
at fire hydrants, in fire lanes or along yellow
curbs.
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PHOTOS
Your friends and guests
are welcome to bring cameras to the ceremony; however,
the use of tripods for video and camera equipment
is not permitted. A professional photographer from
Chappell Studios (1-800-247-3435) will photograph
each graduate during the ceremony. You will receive
color proofs by mail within approximately two weeks
after Commencement. If you wish to purchase prints,
you may do so, but there is no obligation. Graduate
students need to notify the Graduate School
if their address will be different after December
18. Master's students
should contact Linda Thomas at 410-455-2440 or lthomas@umbc.edu.
Doctoral students should contact Kathy Miller at
410-455-3269 or kamiller@umbc.edu.
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SPECIAL
AccomModationS SEATING FOR GUESTs
When you pick up your
Commencement tickets from the Bookstore Graduation
Center on December 1 through 3, you will be able
to exchange up to two general admissions tickets
for special accommodations tickets. (The second
ticket will enable one family member or friend
to sit with and assist the person requiring special
accommodations.) Special accommodations seating
includes reserved seating for people with mobility
or hearing impairments.
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Tickets
Guests are required to present
general admission tickets for admittance into
the RAC. When you pick up your regalia
from the Bookstore, you will receive FOUR tickets
admitting your guests to the Commencement ceremony.
If you have guests with special
needs, such as hearing or mobility impairments,
you will need to exchange general admission tickets
for special accommodations seating tickets at this
time. (See
"Special
Accommodations"
above.) Up to two general admission tickets may
be exchanged.
Students
should pick up their regalia and tickets from
the Bookstore Graduation Center on December
1 through 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The
Bookstore Graduation Center will not be responsible
for regalia and tickets unclaimed by Tuesday,
December 9, the last day of classes.
In addition to the ticketed seating
in the RAC Arena, overflow seating will be available
in Lecture Hall III, located in the Administration
Building, with a closed-circuit broadcast of the
Commencement ceremony. Tickets will not be required
at this location. When you pick up your regalia
and tickets at the Bookstore Graduation Center,
please also indicate the number of additional guests
(if any) who may need seating in this area. We
will use this information to plan for seating
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information,
contact Laura Arnwine in the Office of Institutional
Advancement at 410-455-5897 or at lmarnwine@umbc.edu.
Provost's Office: 410-455-2333
Bookstore Graduation Center: 410-455-3807
Registrar's Office: 410-455-3158
Graduate School: 410-455-2440 or 410-455-3269
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