"IMAGINE" Graduation Fair
October 21 and 22, 2008
Clark Student Center Atrium

An event is being planned for all December 2008 degree candidates and the August 2008 graduates who will be attending the December Commencement ceremony to answer all of your questions and be sure you have taken care of all the details necessary to graduate (short of those pesky final exams!!).

 Tuesday October 21, 2008  11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 
 Wednesday October 22, 2008  11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Come and talk with representatives who can give you straight answers to your questions... Registrar's Office, Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Business Office, Career Management Center, Financial Aid, Admissions Office, Alumni Association, President's Office, and Public Information and Marketing.

Let us help make your last semester less of a "roller coaster ride" and give you the chance to take care of everything for graduation in one stop.  May candidates will be invited to a graduation fair in the spring.

MSU Commencement Information
December 2008 Graduation

Congratulations from the Office of the Registrar!

Information for Graduating Seniors
and Their Guests: 

 Click here for Graduation
Celebration Information

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Date:  Saturday, December 13, 2008
Place:  D. L. Ligon Coliseum
Time:   10:00 a.m.

The doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and graduates are to be in place by 9:30 a.m.  Degree candidates will be lined up in the EAST SIDE (Taft Blvd.) hall of the south wing. Signs will indicate where the graduates will line up.  We anticipate the ceremony will last about two hours.  After the recessional, graduates will proceed outside onto the lawn to meet family and guests.

Directions: To reach the MSU campus, take the Hwy. 82 West/Kell Blvd. Exit off Hwy. 287. Go two miles west on Kell Blvd. Then take the Taft Blvd. exit and turn left on Taft. Follow Taft Blvd. five blocks south. The University will be on your right. D. L. Ligon Coliseum is at the end of the block at the intersection of Taft and Midwestern Parkway.

Regalia: Caps and gowns are available from the campus bookstore. A friend or family member may pick up the regalia for you.  If possible pick up this regalia by December 12.  Time will be very short on graduation day.

Honors: Cords for Honor graduates (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) will be distributed as you line up. They are to be worn pinned to the left shoulder seam.

Dress: All graduates will wear an Academic Gown and a Mortar Board (without personal accessories or messages).  All tassels should be worn on the right and will be shifted to the left together, except for master's candidates who will wear their tassel on the left the entire ceremony.  Casual wear is not appropriate. Graduates may not wear jewelry or flowers on the gown and may not carry a purse or camera. There will be no secure place to leave valuables during the ceremony. Pin car keys to the inside of the gown if necessary. Female candidates for the associate and bachelors degrees should have white collars in their gown packets. All Master’s candidates will have hoods instead of collars, which they will carry on the right arm so they can be hooded during the ceremony.  The hoods will be issued by the Bookstore. 

After you have found your place in line, please remain there so that you can receive your name card. You will give this card to the announcer as you approach the stage, who will then announce your name as you receive your diploma cover.

Professional photographs will be taken of each graduate. Proofs will be mailed in about four weeks to your address on record.  The ceremony is being taped and will air on MSU’s Channel 2.  Contact the Office of Public Information and Marketing, 940-397-4352, after commencement if you are interested in purchasing a DVD.

Attendance at Commencement is a degree requirement for December graduates unless officially excused. If you are absolutely unable to be here, contact the Office of the Registrar to obtain a form to request permission to graduate in absentia.

Guests with disabilities may be seated on the coliseum floor, west side. This limited area fills on a first-come first-serve basis. Only one other member of the family will be allowed to sit with the disabled guest. Guests can sit in the bleachers or upstairs, but spectators will not be allowed to stand in the ramps due to fire regulations.

Upon satisfactory completion of all degree requirements and a final evaluation in the Office of the Registrar, you will receive your diploma.  If all of your degree requirements are completed, diplomas may be picked up beginning January 16.  If you have someone else pick up your diploma, you must send a signed authorization for us to release it to that person.  If you asked us to mail your diploma, it will be mailed about January 22.  Students who did not complete degree requirements will be notified by letter.

If you have any other questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (940) 397-4116.

Graduation Celebration
Saturday, December 13, 2008
~ Following Commencement ~

All December/August graduates are invited to attend Graduation Celebration inside the Clark Student Center Atrium following the Commencement ceremony.  You will be able to order your Wai-Kun Yearbook; pick up your free Alumni Association membership card and certificate; make your first donation to the Annual Fund to help MSU meet its donor goal; and learn how the Career Management Center can get your job hunt off to a great start.  For more information, please call (940) 397-4539.


There will also be a reception for all graduates and their families which will be held in the Clark Student Center from approximately 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.  The President's Office sends a separate invitation for this reception.

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