ELIGIBILITYTo be eligible to participate in the 2013 Commencement Exercises, you must meet one of the following requirements:
- All degree requirements completed Summer 2012
- All degree requirements completed Fall Semester 2012
- All degree requirements completed Spring Semester 2013
GRADUATION APPLICATIONIn order to graduate, you must have completed a graduation application. Undergraduates, please call Wayne Cheng at 815.226.4072 immediately if you have not yet submitted an application or paid the application fee. All graduation applications should be complete and on file in Student Administrative Services (SAS, Blanche Walker Burpee Center, 1st floor). MAT and MBA students should contact the Office of Graduate Studies at 815.226.4040 for the appropriate degree verification forms.
CAP AND GOWN ORDER DEADLINE APRIL 5Academic dress is required of all graduates participating in Commencement and must be ordered by April 5, 2013. You should purchase your cap and gown through the Rockford College Bookstore. Students graduating with a bachelor’s degree wear a gown, mortar (cap), and tassel. Students graduating with a master’s degree wear a gown, academic hood reflecting area of study, mortar, and tassel. A cap and gown for a bachelor’s degree are $36.00 plus tax. A cap, gown, and hood for a master’s degree are $68.00 plus tax. Appropriate attire to be worn under your gown consists of dress slacks with a shirt and tie for men, and a dress, skirt, pants or suit for women.
If you have not already done so, please contact the Rockford College Bookstore for information and the necessary forms to order your academic dress. You may also download an order form on the College website at
http://www.rockford.edu/?Bookstore. The bookstore is located on the 1st floor of the Blanche Walker Burpee Center. Please contact the Bookstore for hours at 815.226.4019.
GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CLASS RINGSGraduation announcements and class rings may be purchased, through Jostens, at the Rockford College Bookstore. Jostens’ products include yearbooks, class rings, graduation products, etc. For more information, call the Rockford College Bookstore at 815.226.4019 or contact Jostens directly at 800.854.7464 or
www.jostens.com.
Note: The Bookstore will be holding a graduation event this year with Jostens (rings and announcements), Framing Success (diploma frames), and Central Valley Studios (graduation photos) on April 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Blanche Walker Burpee Center.
ACADEMIC HONORSUndergraduate students showing high scholastic achievement are granted a degree with honors at Commencement. Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Cum Laude honors and MacLeish Scholar honors are awarded.
Honors for Commencement Day are based on final grades through Fall 2012. The specific criteria for honors are outlined in Academic Policies and Regulations section of the 2012-2013
Academic Catalog on page 79.
Students receiving honors will be informed before the ceremony and will receive their cords when they check in at Commencement Line-Up on May 19.
Determination of final honors will include your final semester grades and will appear on your transcripts. These will be determined when all grades are submitted after the Commencement ceremony.
Honors are not awarded to graduate students. All graduate students are required to maintain honors-level GPAs throughout their academic programs. Graduate students are not allowed to wear honor cords during Commencement.
VETERAN/MILITARY GRADUATES DEADLINE APRIL 19Rockford College will be honoring our veterans and active duty graduates at the ceremony. If you would like to be honored with a military cord, contact Kelley Rippentrop at 815.226.4063 or
krippentrop@rockford.edu no later than Friday, April 19.
GRADUATES WITH SPECIAL NEEDSCommencement event locations are accessible for those with special needs. There is an interpreter for the hearing impaired during the ceremony. Degree candidates who have special needs should notify Teddy Phillips, Assistant to the President, at 815.226.3387.
***COMMENCEMENT TICKETS DEADLINE APRIL 22*** Tickets are required for all guests of degree candidates for the Commencement ceremony. Each degree candidate will be allotted
four tickets for family and friends. Tickets must be picked up by the degree candidate with a college ID at the Rockford College Box Office by Monday, April 22.
If tickets are not picked up by April 22, they will be made available to other degree candidates. If more than four tickets are needed, please ask the Box Office to add your name to the waiting list. After the April 22 ticket pick-up deadline, degree candidates on the waiting list will be notified if they may pick up additional tickets, as space allows. If you pick up tickets and do not plan to use them, we ask that you return them to the Box Office for redistribution.
Each person in attendance at the Commencement ceremony, regardless of age, must present a ticket to gain entrance. Tickets will not be available at the door of the Coronado Theatre.
The Box Office is located in the Clark Arts Center lobby and is open from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday and can be reached at 815.226.4100.
SPECIAL NEEDS SEATINGAn area will be reserved at the Coronado for those with special needs and two guests. Please request special needs seating when reserving your tickets. Special needs seating areas will be clearly marked and we ask that only those with special needs with two maximum guests be seated there.
COMMENCEMENT EVENTSThe following events will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2013:
Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony, 9:00 a.m. in the Clark Arts CenterThis event is for new members of Phi Beta Kappa, their families, and invited faculty. For information about Phi Beta Kappa, a national scholastic honor society, please contact Dr. Jules Gleicher, Professor of Political Science, at 815.226.4029 or
jgleicher@rockford.edu, or visit
www.rockford.edu/?PhiBetaKappa.
Baccalaureate, 10:00 a.m. in Fisher Memorial ChapelBaccalaureate is an interfaith prayer experience open to all graduates and their families. Graduates should wear their caps and gowns. The approximate length of Baccalaureate is 50 minutes. Please call 815.226.4137 or e-mail
scheduling@rockford.edu to reserve a place for you and all family members who will be joining you. This is a wonderful way to begin your special graduation day.
Check-In and Line-Up, 1:00 p.m. Coronado Theatre, Back Door entrance (off of Park Ave.) All degree candidates are asked to report to the back door entrance (off of Park Ave.) of the Coronado Theatre by 1:00 p.m. to officially check in and line up for the Commencement procession. Graduates must bring only their caps and gowns and leave purses, coats and valuables with their families. Storage for personal items is not available. There will be Faculty Marshals, Junior Marshals, and event staff in the area to direct you, help you robe, and arrange you in line for marching.
Procession, 1:45 p.m. Coronado Theatre Led by the Head Faculty Marshal and the Junior Marshals, degree candidates will process through the corridors and theatre lobby. Faculty will follow the graduates in the procession. The Platform Party, led by their marshal, will complete the procession. When you find your seat, we ask that you please remain standing until instructed otherwise.
Commencement Exercises, 2:00 p.m. Coronado TheatreThe approximate length of the ceremony is 2 hours. This time-honored traditional event marks an end to many years of study on your part. Each student will have his/her name called, will walk across the stage, receive his/her diploma cover and shake hands with Dr. Robert L. Head, President of Rockford College. In addition to the conferral of degrees, the ceremony will include presentation of the senior class gift, and the Commencement address.
We ask that all families and friends of the degree candidates remain in the theatre throughout the entire ceremony – including the recession.
There will be a light reception to follow in the lobby of the Coronado Theatre.
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY LIVE STREAMINGIn order to accommodate your out-of-town guests, family, and friends unable to attend the ceremony, you may direct them to view the ceremony live on our website.
PARKINGAll graduates and their families are to park in visitor lots A, B and C on campus for the Pre- Commencement events. Other parking lots on campus will be reserved for faculty, event staff, etc. To view a campus parking map, please visit
www.rockford.edu/?ParkingMap. Coronado parking for Commencement is available in the parking ramp on Main Street. Ramp parking is complimentary. A map of the downtown area will be provided in the April mailing.
PICTURESCentral Valley Studios, professional photographers, will take your picture as you approach the stage and as you receive your diploma. You will receive information by mail from Central Valley Studios approximately three weeks prior to Commencement about the opportunity to purchase pictures. There is no charge to have your picture taken. Central Valley Studios will mail you a selection of proofs and information about purchasing photos.
Family members and friends are welcome to take pictures during the ceremony. We ask that as they position themselves to take photos of this very important event, they are mindful of those seated around them.
DIPLOMASPlease make sure the SAS Office (1st floor, Blanche Walker Burpee Center) has correct and updated information (both mailing address and telephone number) for contacting you after graduation. Diplomas will be mailed to you during the summer months. If there is a question about the status of your account, please contact the SAS office at 815.226.4062 by 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 17. It is your responsibility to ensure that your account with the College is up-to-date before Commencement.
If you are unable to attend Commencement, you must notify the SAS Office in writing to 5050 East State Street, Rockford, IL 61108 or fax at 815.394.5174. Include your name, written signature and preferred mailing address, so we can mail you your diploma after Commencement.
As part of the graduation fee this year, degree candidates have an option to receive either Rockford College or Rockford University diplomas. If you would like to receive a Rockford University diploma, please email
graduation@rockford.edu with your full name and address by Friday, May 17. If we do not hear from you by that date, you will receive a Rockford College diploma.
As Rockford College alumni, you will have an opportunity to order Rockford University diplomas and covers after July 1, 2013 for an additional fee. For more information, please refer to the FAQ section on the College’s website:
http://www.rockford.edu/?UniversityStatusFAQ FINAL CORRESPONDENCEYou will receive a letter in April with final reminders and information for Commencement weekend.
QUESTIONSShould you have any questions, please contact:
- Undergraduate student graduation status – please contact Wayne Cheng at 815.226.4072
- Graduate student graduation status – please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at 815.226.4040
- Student account questions – please contact SAS at 815.226.4062
- Pre-Commencement & Commencement questions – please contact Teddy Phillips at 815.226.3387 or email graduation@rockford.edu
