COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY Date:    December 12, 2009 Place:  Due to renovations scheduled for D.L. Ligon Coliseum, the Commencement ceremony will be held at: MPEC (Multi-Purpose Event Center) Kay Yeager Coliseum 1000 5th Street, Wichita Falls, Texas (Click here for Map/Directions) 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 ROOMS 1 and 2 of the MPEC (separate building adjacent to the Kay Yeager Coliseum.)  Use the entrance to the left of the flags.  Family members and guests will not be allowed in the graduate line up area and should proceed to the Kay Yeager Coliseum.  Signs will indicate where the graduates will line up.  We anticipate the ceremony will last about two and one-half hours.  After the recessional, graduates will proceed outside to meet family and guests.

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 11.  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.

Professional photographs will be taken of each graduate. Proofs will be mailed in about four weeks to your address on record.  The ceremonies are being taped and will air on MSU’s Channel 2.  Contact the Office of Public Information, 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.

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 15.  You must bring a picture I.D.  If you have someone else pick up your diploma, you must send a signed authorization for us to release it to that person and that person must present picture I.D.  If you asked us to mail your diploma, it will be mailed about January 21.  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.