Winter Commencement Newsletter

Winter Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, December 13th at 10:00 a.m.
Atlantic Union Bank Center

The 2025 Winter Commencement will be a combined ceremony for both undergraduate and graduate students. This is a ticketed event. Each graduate may request up to six (6) tickets for family and friends. Graduates must also select one (1) graduate ticket for themselves to enter. The graduate ticket is separate from the guest ticket allotment.

The ceremony will include all the traditional pomp and circumstance, with live music, a guest speaker, and the procession of graduates across the stage as their names are read aloud. 

Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. Early entry will not be permitted.

Marcus D. Jones is the city manager for the City of Charlotte, which operates under a council-manager form of government. The City Council sets policy objectives, and the city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city, ensuring city operations and business are carried out and administered effectively and in alignment with City Council policy objectives. Jones maintains fiscal stewardship over the city’s $3.2 billion budget in addition to operations of the city’s 20 departments. These responsibilities include community safety, economic development, public transit (bus and light rail), as well as the Charlotte airport (CLT).

Jones is a respected leader in government affairs at the city, regional and national levels. He is immersed in the Charlotte community, fostering and developing relationships in the business, arts and culture, philanthropic and faith-based communities. He is an active board member with the Leading on Opportunity Task Force, Charlotte Center City Partners, Envision Charlotte, TreesCharlotte, YMCA, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance executive committee and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.

Jones’ energetic and collaborative approach to government and business has transformed organizations to become action-oriented, guided by the city vision and strategy. He challenges teams to innovate and develop partnerships internally and across the community, resulting in long-term, sustainable programs that support upward mobility, job growth and economic development; improved community safety; and stronger city and regional brands.

Jones has more than 25 years of public service experience at the city and state level. His prior experience includes serving as the city manager, assistant city manager and budget director for the City of Norfolk. He also served as the deputy chief administrative officer for Richmond, Virginia, and the deputy secretary of finance for two governors in the Commonwealth of Virginia. While serving with the state government, Jones gained a strong reputation for his ability to negotiate complex financial and legislative issues across party lines.

Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration from James Madison University and a master’s in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Oct. 1 
Graduates recieved an email from JMUGrad advising that graduates may submit their reservation - max of six (6) tickets. 

Nov. 12 - Email Reminder
Emails will be sent to remind graduates to request their tickets.

Dec. 1 - Final Email Reminder
Final email will be sent to remind graduate that ticketing ends on December 3rd at noon.

Dec. 3 - Ticketing Ends
Ticketing ends at 12 noon. Following this date, emails will come out about ticket transfer, parking, graduate seating assignments, and more!

1. Only the graduate can secure tickets, by following the link in their email. 
2. Maximum of six (6) guest tickets. 
3. Graduates must reserve a graduate ticket for themselves to enter the arena. Be sure to add this ticket when reserving guest tickets—it is separate from the maximum of six guest tickets.
4. Tickets will be e-mobile tickets. All tickets must be downloaded to their Apple Wallet or Google Play App prior to arriving at Atlantic Union Bank Center. You can hall all six tickets on one device, however, all guests will need to enter the arena at the same time. Graduates, you will enter separately from your guests. Ensure your tickets are transferred to your guests before arriving to teh arena.
5. Your tickets will be available in your account after the reservation period ends. During the week of commencement, you will receive transfer instructions along with a notification from athletic-ticket@jmu.edu.
6. A barcode will not be displayed, rather the ticket will say "Hold Near Reader" for contactless entry.
7. Children (5 years and younger) do not need a ticket if they are sitting on another guest's lap. However, if a child will need their own seat they will need to acquire a ticket.
8. All guest tickets are general seating.

Ticketing transfer instructions and how to reserve your tickets can be found here. *Note: This website pertains to athletic events, but is the same system for commencement.*

You may purchase your regalia package (cap, gown, hood, and tassel) online through the JMU Bookstore to ship to your preferred destination. The deadline to order regalia online is December 3^rd. Additionally, you may stop in at the JMU Bookstore, as they have regalia available for purchase on-site.

When you are obtaining your regalia, you will need to provide height, weight, and degree (i.e., B.A., B.S., M.M., etc.). This will ensure that you are provided the correct regalia package that fits your needs and aligns with your degree. The tassel and hood color will correspond with your degree.

If you are a student graduating with Latin honors (GPA of 3.5 or higher), you will need a gold honors cord. Honors cords are for eligible undergraduate students only; these do not pertain to master’s or doctoral programs. Note: This is not for Honor’s College graduates and is based on GPA requirements. If you are receiving this honor, you should have received an email from The Office of the Registrar. For questions, please contact graduation@jmu.edu.

The Stole of Gratitude is an additional option that is available for purchase. The Stole of Gratitude offers an opportunity to say, ''Thank You'' for the moral or financial support provided to help make your commencement a reality.

Senior Compass is a non-credit Canvas course all undergraduate students must complete the semester leading up to graduation. Once you apply to graduate, the Senior Compass Hold will be placed on your account automatically at the beginning of the semester in which you intend to graduate; the hold will be removed once the two Senior Compass requirements are completed.

Email SeniorCompass@jmu.edu or visit jmu.edu/SeniorCompass for more information.

You should have received a link via email from Tassel on October 3rd.

The email might resemble spam, but it is sent by the Tassel system that we use to manage name displays for commencement. Registering for commencement is critical for our operations for your graduate recognition on the stage. The system will confirm your attendance for commencement, verify your name phonetically for our commencement reader, and you will have the opportunity to record your pronunciation of your name. In this registration, we will also collect accessibility needs of the graduate. Do not submit guest accessibility needs in this registration. For questions about accessibility for guests, please visit our website.

Tassel Timeline:

• November 7th - Registration reminder will be sent via email
• November 17th - Final reminder email to register
• November 19th - Registration will close at midnight

• Apply to Graduate and View your Graduation Status
  Click HERE for procedures to apply to graduate and view your graduation status. Diplomas will be mailed shortly after commencement and should arrive 8-10 weeks after your degree has been conferred. Make sure your permanent/home address is correct, and if it is not, you can make those changes in MyMadison.

• Reserve Lodging
  Remind your family and guests to make lodging reservations. If accommodations in Harrisonburg are limited, consider nearby cities and towns such as Woodstock, Staunton, Mount Jackson, Fishersville, New Market and others within 30 miles.

• Learn the Alma Mater
  If you don't know it, now is the time to get to know it!

• Watch for Upcoming Newsletters
  We will share updates on the commencement ceremony timeline, regalia, parking, accessibility and more.

Please visit the commencement website to view additional information related to the ceremony.