graduation

2013 CONVOCATION CEREMONY



Eligibility to Participate

Convocation is not a certification of graduation, but rather a ceremony that celebrates your academic achievements. You must satisfy all of your degree requirements before you officially graduate and receive your diploma.  You are eligible to participate in both Commencement and Convocation if you have graduated in August 2012 or December 2012 or expect to finish your degree requirements by May 2013. 

Campuswide Commencement Ceremony (Assembly Hall)

The Campuswide Commencement Ceremony is a large event where multiple colleges come together to celebrate. Because there are so many colleges and so many students graduating there are two campuswide Ceremonies. The one that includes the College of Veterinary Medicine is on Sunday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Assembly Hall. This ceremony is where your DVM degree is actually conferred by the President of the University. This ceremony is a beautiful ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance, as well as beautiful music performed by the University Symphonic Band and Combined Chorus. It is a jubilant yet refined atmosphere that you and your families will enjoy and remember. Your attendance is important to the College and the profession that you are joining.
Please visit http://oc.illinois.edu/commencement/  for further information.  

College of Veterinary Medicine Convocation (Foellinger Great Hall at KCPA)

This event is only for the College of Veterinary Medicine and will be held on Sunday, May 12 in the Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 1:30 p.m.  In this ceremony you will march into the auditorium, be hooded, and receive congratulations from the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. This ceremony lasts about 1½ hours. The doors to the Foellinger Great Hall open at 12:30 p.m. and tickets will be taken at that time. 

Reception

    There will be a reception at the College of Veterinary Medicine for the graduates and their guests immediately following the Convocation ceremony.  This is an opportunity for the graduates to celebrate this joyous occasion with their families and friends. A beautiful display of finger foods will be available (fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, an assortment of pastries and cookies, and drinks). Historically the reception is winding down around 4:30 p.m.

    Arrival Time and Location

    Graduates should arrive at 12:30 p.m. and report to the Choral Rehearsal Room on the third floor basement of Krannert. This will give you time to prepare and line-up for the ceremony. Graduates will be addressed by the ISVMA President before marching into the auditorium.

    Ticket Information

    As a graduate, you do not need a ticket; however all guests, including infants and small children, must have a ticket. You will be sent a form to reserve the number of tickets that you are requesting for both ceremonies. The Office of Academic and Student Affairs will have tickets for both the Campuswide Commecement Ceremony and the Veterinary Medicine Convocation Ceremony.  Each guest will be required to present a ticket at the door for entry.  There is no limit to the number of tickets per graduate. 

    Hooder Information and Forms

    There are three different ways of choosing someone to hood you for the Vet Med Convocation:

    1. We will have the Class of 2013 vote for several faculty members by majority and if you have no preference for who is going to hood you one of those will be assigned to you.  If you want to choose one, please let ASA know as soon as possible.
    2. You can ask a faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine or University of Illinois to hood you.
    3. You may ask someone outside the college to do your hooding. The only requirement is that they must have an earned doctorate degree, whether it is a DVM, MD, DDS, PhD, JD, or EdD. Outside hooders can be family members, mentors, colleagues, spouses or significant others that ALREADY HAVE THEIR TERMINAL DEGREE. 

    Can my mom and dad hood me?
    If they are both doctors, under certain circumstances, we will agree to let two people hood the graduate at the Veterinary Medicine convocation ceremony.  Please make sure to contact the ASA office to request you have two hooders.  Approval is considered on a case by case basis.

    It is your responsibility to inform the ASA office that you have asked a faculty member or someone outside the college to hood you by returning the hooder form. If you do not submit the form they will not receive a letter which gives specifics of his/her role and a regalia form.  If we do not receive the regalia form back they will not get their cap and gown ordered.

    You do not need to pay for a faculty members regalia. The University takes care of that expense for you. You do not have to pick up the faculty’s academic regalia.  It is delivered to the ASA office. The faculty member is responsible for picking up his/her academic regalia from the ASA office.

    You will be requested to pay for regalia for a hooder outside of the college/university when you pick up your regalia. You will have to pay by check or cash – NO CREDIT CARDS! 

    Regalia (Cap and Gown) Ordering and Return Information

    Approved regalia must be worn by all participants in the College Convocation and Campuswide Commencement ceremonies.  Herff Jones is the supplier of rental regalia for the ceremonies. Graduates
    may order rental academic attire via the web (www.herffjones.com/illinois) through 11:59 p.m. April 11th. (When the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. the website will automatically shut down.)

    Students may also order academic attire in person in the Authors Corner, Illini Union Bookstore.  For your information, the schedule is:

    • Wednesday, March 27: 10:00 a.m. to  3:00 p.m.
    • Wednesday, April 3: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
    • Thursday, April 11:  10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

    Because academic attire cannot be ordered after the on-line ordering deadline, any student who thinks he/she might participate is urged to place an order.  There is no charge for academic attire which is not picked up during distribution; however, there is a $20 fee for orders placed after the deadline.

    The rental price for doctoral academic regalia is $74.00. The rental price for Master’s academic regalia is $55.00. If you are paying for both your hooder’s academic regalia and your academic regalia the total is $148. Please pay by cash or check when you pick up your academic regalia. If paying by check, make your check payable to "Herff Jones." 

    Distribution  of regalia will be at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), 201 East Peabody Drive, Multipurpose Room #6, Champaign, at the following times:

    • Thursday, May 9: 10:00 a.m.  to  5:00 p.m.
    • Friday, May 10:   10:00 a.m.  to   5:00 p.m.
    • Saturday, May 11:  8:00 a.m.  to 12:00 noon
    • Sunday, May 12: 8:00 a.m.   to   9:30 a.m.

    Regalia should be returned to the ARC at the following times:

    • Sunday, May 12:   10:00 a.m. to  8:00 p.m.
    • Monday, May 13:   8:00 a.m.  to 5:00 p.m.

    Participants who do not return their academic attire before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 13, at the ARC are responsible for returning it directly to the Illini Union Bookstore between 9 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14 through Friday, May 17.  Herff Jones will assess a late charge of $5.00 per day to participants returning academic attire beginning May 14.

    Stole of Gratitude

    The Stole of Gratitude is optional. You can purchase the stole of gratitude on the Herff Jones website: www.herffjones.com/illinois. The Stole of Gratitude is worn during the ceremony. After the ceremony, the new graduate presents the Stole of Gratitude to someone who provided extraordinary help or support, (i.e. parents, relatives, or mentors who have helped with wisdom, words of support or with financial assistance.) Immediately after graduation, the graduate may take the stole from around his/her neck and place it around the neck of the recipient. More than one stole may be worn during commencement, symbolizing that there are multiple people destined to receive Stoles of Gratitude.

    Announcements

    Announcements for graduates can be ordered through Herff Jones at www.herfjones.com/illinois.

    Honor Cards

    Phi Zeta Members can pick up Phi Zeta Cords from ASA Office starting May 1.  The cords are yours to keep.

    Photography During Convocation Ceremony

    While we have no objections to family and friends photographing and videotaping the College Convocation Ceremony, there have been complaints in the past about people blocking the view of others. As a result, we ask that guests remain seated or stand in one of the designated areas for documenting the ceremony.  Guests can go to the front row of the Great Hall to take photographs of student walking across the stage receiving their diploma. There will be a professional photographer company, GradImages, on site who will provide on-line images for graduates and family to order prints up to two years after the event. Please go to the following link www.gradimages.com to register for ordering information that will be sent directly to you.

    Parking

    For both ceremonies, all university lots (excluding 24-hour rented parking spots) are available for use. However, please realize that multiple ceremonies are being conducted during this weekend and parking will not always be available close to the ceremony. For those needing handicapped assistance, please visit http://www.parking.illinois.edu/ for drop off and pick up assistance.

    Special Needs/Accessibility

    For the ceremony at Krannert Center, guests who are unable to climb stairs will need to arrive by 1:00 p.m. to ensure main floor seating. For your guests who have special seating requests (wheelchairs, sight or auditory needs, etc,), please call Jessica Shelvik at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 217-333-9716 or e-mail her at shelvik@illinois.edu and she will be happy to help with seating arrangements. Guests at the Assembly Hall may be dropped off at the main/west entrance. Handicapped seating is available on this level. See an usher once inside the main doors.

    Diploma Information (Mailing Address and Name)

    Because it is not possible to process grades and prepare degree lists by Commencement weekend, diplomas will be mailed to May 2013 graduates by mid-July.  The primary address that will be used to mail your diploma is the “Diploma Address.”  If the diploma address is unavailable, it will be mailed to the “Mailing Address.”  Students should check and update their “Diploma Address” at http://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice.

    Name Change: Information for instructions on changing your name to the version which will appear on your diploma and transcript can be found at http://www.registrar.uiuc.edu/graduation/namechange.html.
    Deadline to change name on diploma is June 7, 2013.

    If you have questions about your diploma, please call the Office of the Registrar at 217-333-0210.

    Transcripts

    Before ordering your transcripts please check Student Self-Service https://apps.uillinois.edu to see if your degree has been posted.  The first degree upload will occur on May 21, 2013.  So check after that date. 

    Always Illinois

    Illinois is on the cutting edge of alumni relations with a new, free, online community exclusively for you – our alumni and students, faculty and staff. Always Illinois empowers you to maintain lifelong relationships, to network within the Illinois family in a secure global community, and to stay connected with the campus, your college, department, and student or alumni organizations. The link to Always Illinois is: www.alwaysillinois.org.

    Dates to Remember

    • Monday, 4/11:  Last day to place on-line orders for academic attire until 11:59 p.m.
    • Saturday, 5/11:  Lunch for graduates & their families at Dean Whiteley’s home from 11:30-1:00 p.m.
    • Sunday, 5/12:  President & Chancellor’s Reception at The President’s House from 8:00-9:30 a.m.
    • Sunday, 5/12: Campuswide Commencement Ceremony at the Assembly Hall at 10:30 a.m.
    • Sunday, 5/12:  College of Veterinary Medicine Convocation, Foellinger Great Hall at KCPA, 500 South Goodwin, Urbana, 1:30 p.m.
    • Sunday, 5/12:  Reception at the College of Veterinary Medicine Lawn at 3:00 p.m.