Commencement Responsibilities

Commencement 2011

The 2010-11 Commencement Roadshow Handout is available here.

Grading Responsibilities

Department/School:

• Encourage faculty to submit grades for graduating students as early as possible.
  • Monday, May 30: Faculty/proxy grading opens
  • Thursday, June 9 (12:00 noon): Deadline for submission of grades for graduating students
  • Friday, May 13: Target date to resolve all missing grades for prior quarters
• Submit grade change cards to the Office of the University Registrar for missing grades prior to Spring Quarter 2009-10.
• Review records for continuing courses (graded 'N') that are not in progress during Spring Quarter 2010-11; submit grade cards for the student's terminal quarter of enrollment in the course (if terminal quarter was prior to Spring Quarter 2008-09) or have instructors issue final grade in Axess (if terminal quarter was Spring Quarter 2009-10 or later).

Registrar's Office:

• Students who have applied to graduate in Spring Quarter are displayed in RED with an asterisk on Spring and prior rosters.
• Faculty and proxies may submit partial grade rosters to insure that graduating students' grades can be submitted first.
• Rosters are posted frequently during the week before Commencement.
• See the Registrar's Axess for Faculty web pages for faculty grading information and instructions.

Undergraduate Graduation Clearance Responsibilities

Department/School:

• Departmental course requirements for the major, secondary major and/or minor (if student is denied in one part of plan, such as major or minor, their entire application to graduate is denied by Registrar's office).
• Departmental-specific GPA and unit requirements.
• Other departmental-specific requirements.
• School of Engineering is responsible for school-level requirements.

Registrar's Office:

• University GPA and University unit requirements*
• Major Minor Course Approval form* (if applicable)
• General Education Requirements*
• Language Requirement*
• Writing Requirement*
• Registration Status*

Graduate/Professional Graduation Clearance Responsibilities

Department/School:

• Departmental course requirements for the degree
• Departmental-specific GPA and unit requirements
• Competition of Graduate milestones:
  • Master's program proposal
  • Reading committee approval
  • University orals
  • Master's thesis, final projects or essays
  • Other milestones such as Language Requirement, Teaching Requirement

Registrar's Office:

• University GPA and residency unit requirements
• Competition of Dissertation (doctoral students)

Diploma Responsibilities

Department:

• The Registrar's Office releases diplomas to departments to insert into diploma covers for all cleared students as of Friday, June 11 at noon.
• A diploma should be given only to a student who has earned the degree.
• Diplomas that are not picked up on Commencement should be returned to the Registrar's Office promptly after the dept ceremony on Sunday, June 13.

Diploma Covers: Please continue to encourage your students to return their walkthrough diploma covers to the Student Services Center.

Registrar's Office:

• Prepares diplomas for all graduating students.
• Only diplomas of students who have met all graduation requirements are released to departments.
• Works with students to clear as many diploma holds (Student Financial Services, Residential and Dining Enterprises, University Libraries, etc.) as possible.
• Provides departments with specific paper inserts in lieu of diplomas for problems such as misspelled names, diploma holds, applied to graduate too late, etc.

Student Services Center:

• On Commencement Sunday, June 13, from noon-4:00 p.m., students can pickup diplomas at the Student Services Center if they have selected the 'Pick-Up' diploma distribution option (Tresidder Union, 2nd Floor).
• Students can pick up diplomas at Student Services Center on ongoing basis if they select 'Pick-Up' diploma distribution option.

Commencement Walkthrough Responsibilities

Department/School:

• Departments determine who may 'walk through' their Commencement ceremony
• Walkthrough forms have been distributed to departments. The forms list the criteria that must be met to be eligible to walk through graduation
• Walkthroughs are not recorded in PeopleSoft
• Departments request from the Registrar's Office the number of blank diploma covers that are needed for walkthroughs when they pick up diplomas

Student Services Center Reminders

Diploma Holds - Bills and Financial Aid:

• Be sure to remind graduating students that all balances must be paid on their University Bill prior to graduation to avoid diploma holds.
• Departments must approve any financial aid for students prior to Friday, May 14 to avoid diploma holds.