Spring Commencement 2008

From: Academic Affairs

The Spring 2008 Commencement will take place on Saturday, May 3. It will begin with the processional at 8:30 a.m. in Bridgeforth Stadium. It is considered a faculty responsibility to attend the graduation ceremonies at the end of the semester.

This year, the faculty is assembling in academic regalia in two different areas based on college affiliation. Faculty of the Colleges of Business, Arts and Letters and Visual and Performing Arts should report to the north end (score board end) of the stadium, between the parking deck and the lake. Faculty of the Colleges of Education, Integrated Sciences and Technology, Science & Mathematics and the Graduate School should report to the north end of the stadium, in the Godwin Parking lot. Faculty should be in line no later than 8:15 a.m. Faculty will be leading their respective colleges into the stadium and sitting with their colleges, thus, the side on which you assemble is determined by where your college is lining up.

Junior marshals will then lead the procession into the stadium. Faculty will lead their respective colleges, following the junior marshals and their college’s flag and banner bearers and sit in the front of their college’s section. As in years past, there will be no recessional during commencement. A diagram of the procession and seating can be viewed at: http://www.jmu.edu/commencement/Processional.html

After the main ceremony, faculty should proceed to their respective college ceremonies. The College of Integrated Science and Technology (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Computer Science, ISAT, Kinesiology and Nursing) will begin its ceremony in Bridgeforth Stadium at 11:30 a.m. The others will begin at approximately the same time at the following locations:

College of Arts & Letters
Communications - Quadrangle
Humanities­ & Social Sciences - Hillside field

College of Business - Convocation Center

College of Education - Godwin Hall

College of Integrated Science and Technology , Graduate Psychology, Health Sciences, Psychology and Social Work - Festival Lawn

College of Science and Mathematics - East Camps Library Lawn

College of Visual and Performing Arts - Duke Hall Sculpture Garden

The speaker for graduation is Mr. Thomas Dingledine. The Commencement 2008 web site can be viewed through the JMU web page at http://www.jmu.edu/commencement.

Parking for faculty will be in the parking deck. Please be wearing academic regalia or have it hanging in view. The parking deck will be released for general parking at. 8:15 a.m. Also, at the suggestion of the Faculty Senate, we are again providing coffee and orange juice, as well as a location to robe. This year there will be two locations: for the Colleges of Education, Integrated Sciences and Technology, Science & Mathematics and The Graduate School, a robing location will be provided on the main level of Godwin, at the Athletic Director’s Suite (which can be reached through the main Godwin entrance facing the scoreboard); for the Colleges of Business, Arts and Letters and Visual and Performing Arts, a robing location will be provided in the stadium, under section 12/13 (this room can be reached through an entry door on the parking deck side of the tunnel in section 11) in Bridgeforth Stadium.

To accommodate all visitors of the graduating class, the ceremony will be held in the stadium, rain or shine. If weather conditions appear threatening, you may want to bring a raincoat. There is an inclement weather plan that relates to potentially life threatening conditions; it can be viewed at: http://www.jmu.edu/commencement/Inclement_Plan_May.html