Westchester Undergraduate Ceremony

 

undergradcommencement2010

 


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:
 
 
Westchester Undergraduate CommencementWestchester Campus
Elizabeth Warner
Student Development and
Campus Activities–Pleasantville
Kessel Student Center
(914) 773-3111

 


 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

 

 

 
 

Geoff BrackettDear Members of the Class of 2010,

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! You have worked hard for this achievement, and we want to help you plan for its celebration. You will be joining a distinguished group of individuals–more than 100,000 Pace alumni–and you should look forward to your continued relationship with Pace as one of them.

Your Pace degree prepares you well to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead and to deal confidently with a world of rapid and constant change. We at Pace have sought to provide you with the foundation for sound decision making, great success, and a love for continuous learning. We are here for you with additional education opportunities through our academic schools and our Office of Adult and Continuing Education. We are here for you with our resume referral program in Co-op and Career Services. We are here for you as mentors, teachers, scholars, and celebrants of your success.

We have prepared this guide in order to assist you with important information about the graduation process. Please familiarize yourself with this material so that your commencement ceremony is everything you and we want it to be.

My very best wishes to you.

Geoffrey L. Brackett, DPhil (Oxon.)
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
 

 

TIME AND LOCATION

Commencement for Westchester undergraduate candidates is scheduled for Monday, May 24. 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 9:30 a.m.

 
 

 
GRADUATION ELIGIBILITY

Students who expect to receive degrees in January, May, or September 2010 are welcome to participate in the May 2010 ceremony. Students in five-year programs are welcome to participate as undergraduate candidates at the May undergraduate ceremony.

 

 
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

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 2010. Please see the Invitation Letter for Commencement.
 
Graduates with F1 student visa status planning to stay in the U.S. for post-completion optional practical training (OPT) should contact Mira Krasnov, assistant director of international students and scholars, at (212) 346-1368 in New York City or Cindy Cullen, International Students and Scholars Office at (914) 773-3425 in Westchester.
 

 
ACADEMIC ATTIRE

Academic attire consisting of a cap, gown, and hood will be distributed to all graduates participating in the ceremony (see Distribution Dates and Locations). Only those graduates participating in academic attire will receive guest admission tickets.
 
For your convenience, you can order your academic attire online. To place your order, please go to www.herffjones.com/college/pace/ and complete the online order form. Your cost for the academic attire can range from $55 to $90, depending on your degree. You must order your academic attire prior to 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. No refunds will be given after April 1, 2010.
 
Note: We will order a small number of extra gowns that will be made available on the distribution dates. Please keep in mind that Pace gowns are custom-made and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. 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.
 
Only cash payments will be accepted after the deadline and a $25 late processing fee will be added to the cost.

 

 DISTRIBUTION DATES AND LOCATIONS

Caps, gowns, and tickets will be distributed in Conference Rooms A and B of the Kessel Student Center in Pleasantville on the following dates:
 
Tuesday, April 27
12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 28
4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

 

TICKETS

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 you are unable to pick up your tickets on the distribution dates, we ask that you have a family member or a friend pick them up for you. Your representative must present your Pace ID and a letter of authorization signed by you. If your ticket packet is not picked up by the final distribution date, you forfeit your entitlement to all tickets.
Tickets will be distributed on the same days as caps and gowns (see  Distribution Dates and Locations)

 

 DIPLOMAS

Diploma distribution for May 2010 graduates who have completed all academic requirements and have no outstanding University holds will begin Monday, June 14, and continue through Friday, June 25. Diplomas will be available on each candidate’s home campus during regular office hours at the Office of Student Assistance. Diplomas not picked up by Friday, June 25 will be mailed beginning Monday, June 28. 
 


 WEBCASTING

Westchester - The 2010 Westchester Commencement Ceremony will be webcast live and can be viewed through the webcast link on the Commencement Web site. Video of the ceremony will be posted on the Commencement Web site the following day: www.pace.edu/commencement.



 PHOTOGRAPHY

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.


 STUDENT SPEAKER AND SINGER

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, depending on rate of speaking). If you are interested in applying to be the commencement speaker, please contact Diane Cypkin, PhD, at (914) 773-3529 by Friday, March 12.

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 (914) 773-3351 by Friday, March 12.
 

 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 ( ewarner@pace.edu) prior to cap and gown distribution.
 

 SHUTTLE BUSES

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. 


 ALCOHOL POLICY

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.
 


 CEREMONY REMINDER

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.
 


 FURTHER INFORMATION

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 ewarner@pace.edu or visit www.pace.edu/commencement.  
 

AWARD CEREMONIES & RECEPTIONS

Westchester 2010 School Award Ceremonies will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2010.

School    Location Time
Seidenberg Butcher Suite  2:45 p.m.
Education Setter’s Cafe’ 2:30 p.m.
Lienhard Willcox Gym    1:30 p.m.
Dyson  Dining Room A  2:30 p.m.
Lubin   Gottesman Room 2:30 p.m.
     
Dean’s Reception Tent, Miller Lawn 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

 


 
GRADUATION SURVEY

Complete the Graduation Survey. The university asks all Bachelor and Master degree candidates to complete this brief questionnaire to learn your after-graduation plans, even if they are not firm yet. This information is extremely valuable to academic departments, and helps us advise current and future students.
 

 GRADUATION PLEDGE OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

2010 is the 2nd year 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 will have also taken the pledge in support of its principles.

Visit the Graduation Pledge table at any cap and gown distribution location to sign your Pledge card and receive a pin. Students who are graduating, but not walking in the ceremony, are also invited to participate in the Pledge.
 
More details are online at www.pace.edu/greenpledge.
 
 

 REMINDER

 

Order your cap and gown online by midnight on March 16, 2010.
Cap, gown, and ticket distribution:
Pleasantville
Kessel Campus Center
Conference Room A and B

Tuesday, April 27, 12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 28, 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.