Changes in store for December commencement

BOWLING GREEN, O.—This December, students from four of Bowling Green State University’s undergraduate colleges will join what historically has been a Graduate College commencement ceremony.

Students from the two largest undergraduate colleges—Arts and Sciences and Education and Human Development—will still receive their diplomas at a second commencement the following day.

Graduating with degree candidates from the Graduate College will be undergraduates from the colleges of Business Administration, Health and Human Services, Musical Arts, and Technology. That ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, in Anderson Arena, where the Saturday ceremony will also be held, at 10 a.m.

The University decided to pilot the change this year due to the larger numbers of students attending and ultimately graduating from BGSU; the traditionally low number of participants and guests at the December Graduate College ceremony, and the desire to allow more family members of undergraduates to attend commencement.

Noting that members of the largest entering class in BGSU history are now juniors, Dr. Camille Consolvo, assistant vice president for student affairs, said, “We don’t have a venue large enough to put everyone in,” and that undergraduates have received only four tickets each in the past.

The decision about which undergraduate colleges to move to the Friday commencement “was based on numbers,” she added, explaining that the combined number of graduates from Arts and Sciences and from Education and Human Development has been roughly equivalent to the total number from the other colleges.

Tickets will now be required for admission to both ceremonies. Graduate students will be allotted 10 tickets each, while undergraduates will receive eight tickets apiece. More details will be available on MyBGSU for graduating students.

For answers to frequently asked questions, call 419-372-GRAD.

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(Posted September 25, 2006 )