Commencement Weekend

Commencement is the highlight of the academic year. Faculty participation is encouraged as we endeavor to create a meaningful occasion for our graduates and their families. Please indicate your intent to participate in the various Commencement weekend 2008 ceremonies by completing the Faculty Commencement Registration Form. Faculty who need to order caps and gowns must do so at this Web site by May 12.

The Baccalaureate Services

Baccalaureate Services incorporating the principal faith traditions of the University will be held at 9:30 AM and 11 AM Friday, June 20, in the Alice S. Millar Chapel. University Chaplain Timothy Stevens invites faculty members to participate in these services. This commitment requires faculty to present themselves in academic regalia in the Chapel undercroft one half hour prior to the service. Participants should enter through the east side (alley) doors of Parkes Hall.

The Commencement Exercises

The One Hundred and Fiftieth Annual Commencement Exercises will be held at 6 PM Friday, June 20, 2007 at Ryan Field. Faculty will assemble at 5 PM in the Field house of McGaw Memorial Hall, located at the north end of the building (see map). The University provides shuttle service from major campus parking lots and along Sheridan Road to the Ryan Field/McGaw Memorial Hall area from 2:30 PM to 9 PM Limited parking will be available without charge in the large lot to the west of Ryan Field (entrance on Ashland Avenue).

Severe Weather Plan

In the event of severe weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors to Welsh-Ryan Arena. Should there be light rain the ceremony will remain outdoors and participants are advised to be prepared for the weather. Severe Weather Plan announcements will be made throughout the afternoon on WNUR 89.3 FM and on the Northwestern homepage.

Ticket Information

Guest tickets are required for the Commencement Exercises for Ryan Field seating and for Severe Weather Plan seating in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Ceremony participants do not need tickets. Faculty who desire guest tickets may contact the Office of Special Events, 847-491-3600. Severe Weather Plan guest tickets are necessarily limited to one per participating faculty member. Tickets are not required for the Baccalaureate Services, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cap and Gown Information

Academic regalia is to be worn by all participants at the Baccalaureate Services and at the Commencement Exercises, unless the participant wears a uniform of one of the armed services. Men will remove their academic caps for the National Anthem, the Invocation, and the Benediction. Faculty who need to order regalia must do so by May 12 by completing the Faculty Commencement Registration Form.

Cap and Gown Pick-up

Pick-up locations are determined by school affiliation and the participation information indicated on the registration form:

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

• Friday PhD/MFA Hooding Ceremony & Baccalaureate Service participants:
  Thursday, June 19, 9:00 AM to 5 PM and
  Friday, June 20, 9:00 AM to 11 AM
  The Graduate School Conference Room
  Rebecca Crown Center, northwest tower
  
• Commencement Exercises participants:
  Friday, June 20, 5 PM
  Field house, McGaw Memorial Hall
  
• Saturday convocation for Counseling Psychology and Marital and Family Therapy program participants:
  Thursday, June 19, 9:00 AM to 5 PM and
  Friday, June 20, 9:00 AM to 11 AM
  The Family Institute
  
• School convocation participants:
  Saturday, June 21, 10 AM
  Field house, McGaw Memorial Hall

Feinberg School of Medicine
see Weinberg listing

Caps and gowns for faculty from the following schools may be obtained between 9 AM and 5 PM Thursday, June 19, or Friday, June 20, as indicated below:

School of Communication
Frances Searle Building, Room 1-102

School of Continuing Studies
405 Church Street
Thursday, June 19, only 9 AM to 5 PM

School of Education of Social Policy
Annenberg Hall, Room 124

McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Technological Institute, Room L250

Medill School of Journalism
Fisk Hall, Room 102

Kellogg School of Management
Jacobs Center, Room 262

School of Music
Music Administration Building, Room 104

Cap and Gown Return

Caps and gowns may be returned:

• Following the Baccalaureate Services in the Chapel undercroft
• Following the Commencement Exercises in the Field house, McGaw Memorial Hall
• Following the individual school convocations Saturday, June 21, at convocation sites

Inquiries are welcome at the Office of Special Events, 847-491-3600.