Note: This page provides general information related to Marywood's Commencement events. For specific details, especially dates, times and instructions for participation, consult the Commencement Guide which is provided to all graduates and is available for download from this site when published.

Important Information

|| Academic Attire || Announcements || Bookstore || Commencement Admission Card || Commencement at Wachovia Arena || Conclusion of Commencement Ceremony || Diplomas || Directions to Wachovia Arena || Graduates' Reception || Hooding & Honors Convocation || Hooding Reception || Parking: Marywood University || Parking: Wachovia Arena || Photographs || Senior Alumni Faculty Dinner: Undergraduates || Senior Week Events || Special Needs Accommodations || Undergraduate Senior Survey || University Commencement Liturgy || Videotaping of Commencement Events ||

Academic Attire

Caps and gowns can be picked up according to the schedule published in the Commencement Guide which is usually available by the end of February.

All graduates participating in the Commencement ceremony must arrive wearing full academic attire: cap with tassel, gown, and hood. Only honor cords and academic medals that are officially issued by the University are permissible.

Announcements

Graduation announcements will be available at the Cashier's Office to students graduating in May around mid-April. Students must have all of their financial obligations to Marywood University satisfied. This includes student account balances, parking violations, and library fines.

If account balances are not paid in full, requests for transcripts and diplomas will not be granted.

Senior surveys must also be handed in at the Cashier's Office.

Bookstore

The Marywood University Bookstore will have a stand on the concourse level at the Wachovia Area on the day of the Commencement Ceremony for any last minute items you and your guests may need. Flowers will also be available for purchase.

Commencement Admission Card

Pick up your Commencement Admission card at the Academic Records Office in the Liberal Arts Center. You will need this card to gain entrance into the Wachovia Arena. Cards will be available for pick up according to the schedule published in the Commencement Guide. Dates on which office hours will be extended will also be published.

Commencement at Wachovia Arena

The doors will open one half hour before the ceremony for graduates and guests. Graduates and guests should enter using the East Gate.

All graduates must bring their admittance card to gain entrance down to the event level of the Wachovia Arena, where the Registrar's office will distribute color-coded placement cards to each graduate. You will then be taken to the staging area for your college. If a graduate arrives without a card, there will be a station set up to verify that the student is qualified to attend the ceremony.

Graduates must be in full academic attire. Graduates will line up on the lower event level of the arena.

Graduates should not bring any personal possessions (purses, cameras etc.) to the arena. Any items should be given to your guests for safekeeping. There is no secure area to keep your valuables. Marywood University and the Wachovia Arena are not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen items.

The arena is a smoke-free facility. Smoking is allowed only in designated outside areas. Alcoholic beverages are also prohibited inside the arena. The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the parking lots. The use of air horns is prohibited.

The ceremony will begin at the time published in the Commencement Guide.

Conclusion of Commencement Ceremony

At the end of the ceremony, graduates will exit the arena through Gate D to the West Gate plaza area. In the event of inclement weather, graduates will exit to the concourse level of the arena.

Diplomas

The Dean of each college will announce the names of the graduates in alphabetical order by college and degree. You must be in proper order according to your color-coded number card. Student assistants will direct you as you approach the stage. You will enter the stage on the right-hand side and exit on the left after receiving your diploma folder from the University President. As you exit the stage on the left, student assistants will direct you to the Registrar's table where you will pick up your diploma insert. You will then be directed back to your seat on the arena floor.

Directions to Wachovia Arena

The Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza, 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, PA, is located off Exit 168 of Interstate 81. The arena is approximately 21 miles south of the Marywood University campus.

Graduates' Reception

A Graduates' Reception will be held in the University's Liguori Center. All undergraduate students, graduate students, parents of graduating students, alumni, and faculty will be invited through a separate invitation. A reply to the reception is necessary for attendence.

Hooding & Honors Convocation

Detailed instructions for the Hooding and Honors Convocation for both graduates and undergraduates are published in the Commencement Guide.

Hooding Reception

The Hooding Luncheon Reception will be held. in the Main Dining Room, Nazareth Student Center during the times published in the Commencement Guide. Reservations must be made by using the reply card enclosed in the Commencement packet.

Parking: Marywood University

Parking for those with physical disabilities and special needs will be located in the Sette LaVerghetta Center parking lot on Adams Avenue for the Hooding and Honors ceremony. This parking will be utilized on a first come, first served basis.

General Parking will be campus wide during the event. Security/Safety will direct vehicles to park in campus parking lots based on availability. General parking is available in the following lots: Mellow Center main lot, O'Neill Center lot, Visual Arts Center lot, and the Nazareth Student Center parking lot.

A shuttle service will be available to assist in the transportation of graduates to the Sette LaVerghetta Center. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Security/Safety department at (570) 348-6242.

Parking: Wachovia Arena

Parking is free at the Wachovia Arena. Parking attendants will be available to direct traffic before and after the ceremony.

Photographs

Chappell Graduation Images will photograph graduates receiving their diplomas. Chappell will mail each graduate photographed a passport sized proof within five days of the graduation, along with the opportunity to select from a variety of photo packages, with no obligation to purchase. Orders will be fulfilled and shipped within 10 days of receipt. Satisfaction is guaranteed or money will be refunded.

Photo opportunity stations will be located outside the East Gate and West Gate of the Wachovia Arena, on Casey Plaza. Students and their guests will be able to use this area for their personal photography needs.

Senior Alumni Faculty Reception: Undergraduates

The Senior Alumni Faculty Reception will scheduled during Senior Week. Details regarding date, time and place are published in Commencement Guide.

Senior Week Events

Senior Week Events are published in the Commencement Guide.

Special Needs Accommodations

Marywood University, in an effort to meet the needs of its graduating students and their families, will provide special accommodations for the Commencement ceremony. These accommodations include reserved seating and parking for individuals with physical disabilities or hearing impairments.

Preferred seating is available only to the student's guest and one individual who will assist and remain with them throughout the ceremony.

A special blue “Disability Pass” is required for entry into the reserved seating area. Both the person with the disability and the individual assisting them need to have a blue disability pass.

The blue “Disability Pass” must be picked up prior to Commencement. Any student who needs special accommodations or who may be inviting a guest with one of these special needs can obtain the pass by contacting ann-Boland Chase at extension 2549. A signer will be available for persons with hearing difficulties. If the “Disability Pass” is not obtained prior to the event, special seating may not be available. Disability seating will be on a first come, first served basis, seating cannot be reserved. A university representative will be at the arena to take your blue pass and show you to the reserved seating area.

Undergraduate Senior Survey

Undergraduates are reminded to stop by the Office of Institutional Research, Immaculata Hall, Room 101, and pick up their copy of the Senior Survey. The survey will be available in mid-April. The survey allows you to evaluate your personal experiences with the academic, extracurricular, and overall quality of life offered by the University. This survey is similar to the end of the semester course evaluations that you have completed. The survey identifies broader strengths, weakness, and trends of our student population.

The data collected assists the University in evaluating its services and programs and helps to create a community that is the most welcoming for students. Completed surveys must be turned into the Cashier's Office, LAC 87. After all accounts are settled, announcements and commencement credentials can be obtained.

University Commencement Liturgy

The University Commencement Liturgy, for all graduates, will be held in the Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts Auditorium at the date and time published in the Commencement Guide. Consult the Commencement Guide for details regarding participation: where to report, procedures, etc.

Videotaping of Commencement Events

J2K Productions will be producing a video of the entire commencement ceremony. Copies of the video may be ordered using the order form found in the separate Commencement Reference Guide mailing. Orders are placed directly with J2K Productions and are shipped within two weeks of the ceremony.