At the conclusion of the 2009-2010 academic year we will be looking forward to this year's Commencement ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, May 16 at 9:30 a.m. So that you can plan your schedule to celebrate your students' successes and meet their families, below is the 2010 Commencement Schedule of Events.
SENIOR WEEK - MAY 12-14: As most of you know, each year the senior class officers plan a series of activities during Senior Week so they can get together as a class. Continue to check the Internet at the address listed above for detailed information.
THE FINE ARTS - MAY 14-15: There are some events planned during the weekend that highlight the talents of our students. The Senior Projects Exhibit will be displayed on Friday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Art Galleries. On Saturday evening, the traditional Commencement Concert will be held in Ford Chapel. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. and tickets are not required.
OPEN HOUSE RECEPTION AT THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE - MAY 14: The President and his family will be hosting an Open House reception at their residence, 286 Jefferson Street, from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Stop by and help President Mullen, his wife Mari, their daughter Franki and son James greet graduates and their families.
CLASS DAY - MAY 15: The schedule on Saturday includes Baccalaureate, in which the senior processional opens the ecumenical service at 1:00 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium. All faculty, administrators and staff are invited. Please note: faculty and administrators are encouraged to march in the Baccalaureate processional but it is not mandatory. Jane Ellen Nickell, Chaplain of the College, will deliver the sermon. Following Baccalaureate, the President's Reception from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. affords families an additional opportunity to talk informally with members of the Allegheny community. The reception will be held in Pelletier Library.
COMMENCEMENT DINNER: Tickets for the Commencement Dinner on Saturday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. are available for you and any guests that you wish to invite ($20.00 for adults, $12.00 for children aged 6 - 12, children under 6 are free). Please contact Conference & Event Services at x3101 if you are planning to attend. Reservations are required and seating is limited.
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY - MAY 16: The Commencement ceremony will begin at 9:30a.m. on Bentley lawn if the weather cooperates, or in the Wise Center Sports Forum if the weather forces us indoors. Closed circuit viewing will be available in Shafer Auditorium for guests who cannot be accommodated in the Wise Center.
Faculty and administrators are expected to march in the academic procession at Commencement; requests to be excused should be addressed to department chairs or supervisors.
Please plan to arrive by 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, May 16, with your cap and gown. If the ceremony is outside, we will line up for the processional on Brooks Walk, just below the Lord Gate. If the ceremony must be held indoors, we will meet in the concourse above the Wise Center Performance Arena. You may recall that, by faculty vote, we do not line up in any rank or seniority order, but marshals do ask that we present ourselves in a dignified double row. Commencement programs will be distributed during the processional line-up.
If you have not purchased or rented your academic regalia yet, please contact Denise McHale in the College Bookstore immediately (x5325). For those who have rented caps and gowns, academic regalia will be available in the Bookstore beginning Monday, May 10, and can be picked up anytime during regular store hours. The Bookstore will contact those who purchased caps and gowns as they arrive. For everyone's convenience, the Bookstore will be open on Saturday, May 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, May 16, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and noon to 2:00 p.m. Rented gowns should be returned to the Bookstore on Monday, May 17 (or bring them back after the ceremony).
ALL-COLLEGE RECEPTION: The All-College Departmental Reception will be held at the conclusion of the Commencement ceremony (approximately noon to 1:30 p.m. ~ location to be announced; rain location - Campus Center various locations). Each academic department will have tables with signs. We will have a table for administrators and staff who would like to greet families. We hope that this reception will provide everyone with the opportunity to spend a few special moments celebrating a very important occasion here at Allegheny College.
COMMENCEMENT TICKETS: If we have an outdoor ceremony, all guests can be accommodated on Bentley Lawn. Inside, however, we have limited seating capability. We offer four admission tickets to each of our graduates and special guest tickets to the families of the platform party speakers and faculty emeriti. With these numbers, we have exhausted our seating capacity. In the event of an indoor ceremony, those without tickets can view the ceremony in comfort on a large screen in Shafer Auditorium. I hope that this is not an inconvenience, but this is one of those areas where we have little flexibility and we want to make sure the families of the graduates are able to see their son or daughter graduate.
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For questions concerning Commencement events, call the Office of Conference and Event Services at 332-3101
