Westchester Undergraduate 2011
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Westchester Undergraduate Commencement Guide 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011 11:00 a.m. |
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CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE INTERIM PROVOST
Dear Members of the Class of 2011
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! Your hard work has paid off as you prepare to join a distinguished group of individuals—nearly 130,000 Pace alumni worldwide—and we want to help make sure your celebration is unforgettable.
This year, we bring new life to our classic Commencement, in a classic space for the New York City ceremonies—the iconic Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center’s most prestigious venue located a block from Central Park. LCD screens at all ceremonies in NYC and Westchester, video montages of your Pace experience, an overflow viewing area at the Damrosch, Lincoln Center, simulcasting in real-time in an air-conditioned tent. Damrosch Park is right behind Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. , and other festive ingredients will help make your day a memorable one. Commencement 2011 will be simulcast in real-time on a large screen
Throughout your time at Pace, we have sought to provide you with the foundation you need to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. We want you to know that that support continues, even after you leave, with additional opportunities through our schools, our Office of Adult and Continuing Education, our Career Services, and Alumni Relations.
We have prepared this guide, which includes important information about events and deadlines leading up to your Commencement ceremony. Please read through for information about academic attire, tickets, webcasting, and more.
My very best wishes to you for a happy and productive semester, and I look forward to seeing you all in your caps and gowns in May!
Sincerely,
Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Please read all the enclosed materials carefully. This pamphlet will guide you through the steps leading to Commencement. If you require more information, please feel free to contact your student commencement coordinator:
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Westchester Campus
Carol Turco |
Table of Contents
Commencement for Westchester undergraduate candidates is scheduled for Friday, May 20. The ceremony will take place in the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Health, Fitness, and Recreation Center on the Westchester Campus in Pleasantville. The ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. Graduates must report for robing and formation of the processional line by 10:00 a.m.
GRADUATION ELIGIBILITY
Students who expect to receive degrees in January, May, or September 2011 are welcome to participate in the May 2011 ceremony. Students in five-year programs are welcome to participate as undergraduate candidates at the May 2011 undergraduate ceremony.
REGISTRATION FOR 2011 GRADUATION IS CLOSED.
If you need a letter from the University to verify your graduation date so that you may invite family from abroad, please contact the Office of Student Assistance no later than early March 2011. Please see the Invitation Letter for Commencement.
Graduates with F-1 student visa status planning to stay in the United States for post-completion Optional Practical Training should contact Mira Krasnov, assistant director of international students and scholars, at (212) 346-1368 in New York City or Cindy Cullen at the International Students and Scholars Office at (914) 773-3425 in Westchester.
Academic attire consisting of a cap, gown, and hood will be distributed to all graduates participating in the ceremony (see Distribution Dates and Location). Only those graduates participating in academic attire will receive guest admission tickets. Student will be able to keep their tassel. Black tassel for undergraduate candidates and students will be able to order special tassel with the year or the Pace seal at an addition cost.
In the University’s commitment to be more socially and environmentally sustainable, we have moved to the rental of all academic attire for our Commencement ceremonies. You can order your academic attire online at: www.herffjones.com/college/pace. Your rental fee for the academic attire can range from $55 to $95, depending on your degree. You must order your academic attire by March 16. The online Herff Jones site will close at midnight on March 16. If you do not order online prior to March 16, you must contact your student Commencement coordinator no later than the final distribution date. Only cash payments will be accepted after the deadline. No refunds will be given after April 25, 2011.
Note: We will order a small number of extra gowns that will be made available on the distribution dates. Once we have depleted the supply of extra gowns, we will not be able to fill additional orders. Size and hood colors cannot be guaranteed. We recommend that you order your gown prior to the March 16 deadline to ensure that you have the correct size.
Graduates will rent their gowns and return the gowns immediately after the Commencement ceremony. Herff Jones will be available in front of the Choate House for all returns.
ALL EXTRA GOWNS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED FOR 2011 GRADUATION.
DISTRIBUTION DATES AND LOCATIONS
Caps, gowns, and tickets will be distributed in Gottesman, Kessel Student Center in Pleasantville on the following dates:
Tuesday April 26 12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 27 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Each graduate will receive four tickets for guest admission. You do not need a ticket for yourself. Graduates who do not order their cap and gown online by the March 16 deadline will NOT be guaranteed four tickets.
If a graduate is unable to pick up tickets on the distribution dates (see Distribution Dates and Locations), we ask that a family member or a friend pick them up. A Pace ID and a letter of authorization signed by the graduate are required to pick up tickets. Tickets must be picked up by the final distribution date; otherwise, they will be forfeited.
The 2011 Westchester Commencement Ceremony will be webcast live and can be viewed through the webcast link on the Commencement website.
On Friday, May 20, 2011 beginning at 10:50am, view the 2011 Westchester Undergraduate Commencement LIVE!
Video of the ceremony will be posted on the Commencement website the following day: www.pace.edu/commencement.
PERSONALIZED ANNOUNCEMENTS
Graduates who would like personalized announcements may order them from Herff Jones at www.herffjones.com/college/pace.
Graduates who have completed all academic requirements and have no outstanding University holds (such as Collections, Financial Aid, Health Care Unit, Library, and/or Student Accounts) will have their diplomas mailed to them beginning Monday, June 27, 2011.
A professional photographer will take individual pictures of each graduate during the Commencement ceremony. Proofs will be mailed to you with an order form and pricing information.
A student speaker will be chosen from the undergraduate candidates who apply for this honor. Speeches run approximately three to four minutes in length (400 to 750 words). If you are interested in applying to be the commencement speaker, please contact Diane Cypkin, PhD, at (914) 773-3529 by Friday, March 4.
If you are interested in auditioning to sing the National Anthem at Commencement, please submit an audiotape of your rendition to the Office of the Dean for Students by Friday, March 4, 2011. You can contact the office at (914) 773-3351.
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
If you or any of your guests are disabled and will need special accommodations before, during, or after the ceremony, please notify your student Commencement coordinator prior to cap and gown distribution.
Buses are available from parking lots F, R, and T to the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Health, Fitness, and Recreation Center. Follow signs to bus stops.
It is a violation of University policy for anyone to possess or consume any alcoholic beverage during any part of the Commencement program. Pace University also stipulates that alcoholic beverages of any kind are not allowed to be carried onto campus. Any violation of this policy may disqualify a graduate from participation in the Commencement program.
Out of respect for our graduating students, guests, and Commencement speakers, all graduates are required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should not exceed three hours. Please plan accordingly.
A postcard will be sent to you in April reminding you of the cap and gown distribution dates. Tickets and instructions for the ceremony will be given to you at cap and gown distribution.
If you need further information regarding Commencement, please contact your student commencement coordinator at cturco@pace.edu or visit www.pace.edu/commencement.
GRADUATION PLEDGE OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
2011 is the third year all graduating students will have the opportunity to take part in the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility at Pace University. Individuals wearing the commemorative pin at Commencement will have voluntarily pledged to make a commitment to be socially and environmentally aware of the decisions and choices they make in their lives. The Pledge reads, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of the choices I make in my daily life as well as in any job I consider. I will try to improve these aspects at home and with any organization for which I work."
Students who pledge take part in a global effort to actively pursue solutions for a sustainable world—meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future. Administrators, faculty, and staff wearing the pin also will have taken the pledge in support of its principles. Visit the Graduation Pledge table at any cap and gown distribution location for more details or visit: www.pace.edu/greenpledge.
