Commencement Ceremony

Commencement is Saturday, May 4, at 9:30 a.m. at Memorial Stadium. You must report to the Hawks Center immediately north of the stadium no later than 8:30 a.m. Please see the Stadium map for the location of the Hawks Center. Because this is such a large ceremony and it is in an entirely new venue, it is important that you arrive by 8:30 a.m. so you have time to check in and to get into place. 

Leave your personal items and valuables with your guests. The processional begins promptly at 9:20 a.m., and you must be in your regalia and in line before that time. Late arrivals will be placed with their College by the Marshals. Your ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Commencement participation is not required to graduate. Students who participate in the ceremony are expected to remain for the entire event. You will not be allowed to collect your diploma and depart before the recessional.

Inclement Weather Plan

Every reasonable effort will be made to hold commencement ceremonies as planned on Saturday. However, inclement weather is a possibility.

If the weather is severe enough – heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, a tornado watch or tornado warning – to require a delay in the ceremony’s start, instructions will be announced at Memorial Stadium and posted at:

Graduates only may register for electronic notification of changes in the commencement schedule at http://is.unl.edu/sets/commencement-contact-form. Decisions regarding weather delay or cancellation will be made by the Office of the Chancellor.

A weather delay will be limited to one hour.  If after a delay the weather and forecasts preclude an outdoor ceremony, degrees will be conferred by the Chancellor in the Hawks Center and diplomas will be distributed to all graduates in attendance. Only graduates will be admitted to the Hawks Center during this time.

If severe weather interrupts the ceremony after it is already underway, graduates and guests are asked to please follow announced instructions at Memorial Stadium.

Graduates and guests are advised to come prepared with appropriate rain gear. Ponchos, raincoats, and something to cover wet bleachers such as blankets or individual seatbacks are advised for guests. Umbrellas WILL BE permitted in Memorial Stadium.

Before departing for the commencement ceremony, please check http://www.unl.edu/ and UNL social media sites for possible weather-related delays or cancellation information.     

If and only if the decision to cancel the ceremony is made before the 8:30 a.m. assembly time, then graduating students may pick up their diploma in person with a photo ID at the Memorial Stadium diploma room from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, only, or Monday, May 6, at the Wick Alumni Center, 1520 R Street, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. To reach the Stadium diploma room, enter at Gate 3 and follow the posted signs. Starting Tuesday, May 7, diplomas may be picked up at Graduation Services, 109 Canfield Administration Building. Whenever you choose to pick up your diploma, bring a photo ID with you.

Graduate Parking

Campus parking Lots 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 in the general vicinity of Memorial Stadium have been reserved for commencement and are available without charge. Lot numbers will be posted. Please see the commencement parking map for further reference. Lot 12 will not be reserved for Friday commencement, but if you have a qualifying campus parking permit, you may use that lot. Disabled parking is available with a government-issued sticker, plate or placard in Stadium Lot #8 adjacent to Memorial Stadium. 

Guest Parking is available at the following locations:

Handicapped Parking: (Stadium Lot #4) (approximately 130 spots)

Faculty/Dignitary Parking: (Stadium Lot #8) (approx. 350 spots)

Admission to Commencement

Your family and friends are cordially invited to attend and are encouraged to be seated the East Stadium area surrounding those seats reserved for graduates. Stadium gates 3 and 11 will be open for commencement guests. See Stadium seating map. Tickets are not required for the ceremony. Football season ticket holders should not plan to sit in their reserved football seats. Graduates and their guests may enter the stadium with a jacket and their commencement regalia. Small-sized purses and camera bags are also allowed in the stadium, but must be screened in the security check points. Commencement guests may bring individual seatbacks into the Stadium. Seatbacks will not be available for rental at the ceremony, and graduating students will not be allowed to carry in seatbacks. The East Stadium area opposite the ceremony stage is reserved for the graduates, faculty, and dignitaries. Any guest with disabilities, accompanied by one person, may sit in a designated area on the hard surface apron adjacent to the football field. Aisle seats are available in the stadium seats for guests who are ambulatory restricted. The commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the UNL website at www.unl.edu.

Required Forms

If you are graduating with multiple degrees in a single term, you must complete a separate Application for Degree form and pay a $25.00 non-refundable fee for each degree.

You must legibly complete and return the yellow Commencement Attendance Form and the white Graduate Statistical Information Form to the Graduation Services Office, 109 Canfield Administration Building South., no later than Friday, April 19, 2013, (refers to May Graduation) to advise us of your plans. Return the forms whether or not you are participating in commencement. These forms let us know what to do with your diploma. If you are graduating with degrees from two different Colleges, please list on your yellow Commencement Attendance Form which College you wish to be seated with for the ceremony.

Academic Regalia

All participants are required to wear academic caps and gowns at Commencement. Graduates must wear the regalia appropriate to the degree they are being awarded at this ceremony. Participants are encouraged to wear flat shoes for the ceremony as they will be walking on field turf and climbing stairs. You may order regalia in person or by mail from the University Bookstore, City Campus Union, or you may simply pick it up at the Wick Center during the Grad Fest celebration April 16 and 17, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Direct your regalia questions to the Bookstore (402) 472-7300.  You may order announcements or ceremony invitations from the vendor of your choice.

Special Considerations for Stadium Commencement

Both the Hawks Center where students will assemble before commencement and the Memorial Stadium field are covered in commercial field turf, which is an uneven walking surface. Graduates are encouraged to wear flat shoes for their commencement ceremony as they will be traversing field turf and climbing stairs. Graduates with mobility concerns should notify Graduation Services of their need for special accommodation on the Commencement Attendance Form due Friday, April 19, 2013, or by calling (402) 472-3636.

Graduate with Disabilities

Graduate with disabilities are entirely welcome and should notify us several days before Commencement to allow time to establish reasonable accommodations. Please report any special needs to Dr. Patrice Berger, Head Marshal, at (402) 472-8203. He will advise you regarding procedures to be followed. Also please note your need for accommodations on your yellow Commencement Attendance Form. Disabled parking is available in Stadium Lot #8 adjacent to Memorial Stadium.

Diplomas

Each graduate participating in Commencement will receive their diploma from a College Dean on the ceremony stage. All graduates will proceed to the stage from their seats as directed by the Marshals. Students will be seated alphabetically within their College. A professional photographer will take your picture as you are handed your diploma and as you come down the ramp from the stage. Do not stop on the ramp as you exit the stage. All financial obligations to the University must be satisfied before your diploma will be released. If you are uncertain about your financial obligation, check with the Office of Student Accounts, 124 Canfield Administration Building North, (402) 472–2887.

Graduates who choose not to participate in the Commencement ceremony may receive their diploma as follows:

  1. Pick it up at the Memorial Stadium diploma room between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 4.  Enter South Stadium at Gate 3 and follow signs to diploma room. Bring a photo ID with you.

  2. By mail as requested on the yellow form mailed in April. Diplomas will be mailed the Monday following Commencement. No mailing charge to United States addresses. There is a $15.00 mailing fee for international addresses.

  3. Pick it up at the Graduation Services Office, 109 Canfield Administration Building South, beginning the Monday following Commencement, unless the Saturday undergraduate ceremony was cancelled. If the Saturday ceremony was cancelled, Monday, May 6, diploma distribution will be at the Wick Alumni Center, 1520 R Street. Starting Tuesday, May 7, diplomas may be picked up at Graduation Services, 109 Canfield Administration Building South. Whenever you choose to pick up your diploma, bring a photo ID with you.

Change in Plans

Please call the Graduation Services Office at (402) 472-3636 as soon as you determine you are unable to complete your requirements for graduation this semester, or if you change your mind about participating in the Commencement ceremony.  Because your commencement is an outdoor ceremony, before arriving at Memorial Stadium, please check www.unl.edu and local media outlets for possible weather-related delays or cancellation.

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