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Faculty Commencement Practice
Held each semester during final’s week (exact date and time announced via email)
Departmental Representation at Commencement
• Fall and Spring
- Departments are expected to have 50% representation at each ceremony
• Summer
-Departments are expected to have 100% representation of all faculty teaching second semester summer
Regalia
• Faculty needing to rent their regalia should watch for a message from the Bookstore regarding the dates for placing orders
• The regalia includes cap, gown, and hood
• The tassel should be worn on the left side
Arrival Times
• Faculty
Faculty need to find their place in the Line of March 30-45 minutes before the ceremony is scheduled to begin
• Platform Participants
Need to meet at the Chancellor’s residence 1 hour before the ceremony. Vans will shuttle these individuals to the Elam Center in time to take their places in the line.
Line of March
• Faculty
Line 1 will form on the East side of the 1st level corridor.
Line 2 will form by the elevator located on the 1st level.
• Deans
Deans need to report to the floor area adjacent to their line of march and locate the appropriate banner as follows:
Agriculture and Applied Sciences – Maize and gold
Business and Public Administration – Drab and peacock
Education and Behavioral Sciences – Light blue and gold
Engineering and Natural Sciences – Orange and gold
Humanities and Fine Arts – Brown and white
Graduate Studies – Royal and orange
The dean should take his/her place in line in front of the first student in the college represented by that dean when that student arrives on the floor area and remain in the appropriate line while proceeding down the main aisle.
• Other Platform Participants
Will report to the Southeast floor area
Will be lined up according to the line of march established by the Office of the Chancellor
Processional
• Faculty
Faculty marshals will follow the Mace Bearer and lead the faculty lines down the center aisle
As the two lines meet at the center aisle, faculty members should pair and continue down the aisle
The processional will stop when it reaches the end of the aisle, and the "Mace Bearer" turns around and faces up the aisle, continuing to hold the mace
The faculty lines on both sides of the center aisle then turn to face each other
Graduating seniors march in two lines up the central aisle through the faculty (symbolic of their association with the faculty during their academic careers). The lines will diverge at the end of the aisle in front of where the "Mace Bearer" is standing, go across the front and down the outside aisle to their seats. They will stand at their seats until everyone in the procession is standing at their seat.
Two lines of platform guests follow the graduates through the faculty, past the "Mace Bearer", and up the ramps to their seats on the platform.
The faculty lines will move to their seats after the platform guests pass the rows in front of the graduates set aside for the faculty and remain standing. The marshals will direct faculty to fill the front row first, then the second, and so on, leaving the aisle seats on the front row for the marshals and mace bearer.
With everyone standing at their seat, the "Mace Bearer" places the Mace in its resting place and moves to his or her seat.
Faculty will remain standing at their seats until after the invocation
• Deans
Deans should carry the banners so that the bottom fringe of the banner appears slightly above the head
The banner should always face forward – do not try to turn the banner toward the audience
Upon reaching the platform, the dean should walk along the side of the platform and pass behind the second row of chairs to the stand marked for his/her banner
The dean should walk behind the stand and lower the banner into the stand, making sure that the banner is secured in the stand and positioned straight (the stands will be marked to indicate which stand is appropriate for that college)
The dean should then move to the appropriate chair on the platform and stand while the remaining deans and platform guests take their positions in the back row as follows:
Platform Marshal Hum&FA Eng&NS Grad Ed&BS Bus&PA Ag&AS Platform Marshal
Front Row (Depending upon guests)
Invocation
• The program of exercises begins with everyone standing as the Chancellor introduces the person to deliver the Invocation
• All male graduates, faculty, and platform participants should remove their caps prior to the invocation
• Male graduates should replace their caps following the invocation
• Male faculty and platform participants should replace their caps when the recessional begins
• After the Invocation is delivered, everyone is seated
The Program
• The Chancellor takes the podium and welcomes everyone & recognitions
• Special Music
• The speaker will be introduced
• VCSA will award Paul and Martha Meek Leadership Awards
• VCAA will recognize Honor’s Graduates & University Scholars
Presentation of Graduates for Degree Conferral
• Each dean will go to the podium to present the graduates in the following order:
Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Business and Public Administration
Education and Behavioral Sciences
Engineering and Natural Sciences
Humanities and Fine Arts
University Studies
Graduate Studies
• The statement should be worded in the following or a similar manner:
[Say to the students]
In the College of [Name of College], will the candidates for the
[List each degree awarded by the college]
please rise.
[Look briefly at Chancellor Dunagan, and then say into the microphone]
Chancellor Dunagan, the candidates before you have met all requirements for their respective degrees, as set by the faculty, and are ready for their degrees to be conferred.
Please be seated. [Make sure you include this statement]
Recognition of Graduates
• As soon as the Chancellor says to the graduates: “You are hereby recognized as University Graduates and Alumni of The University of Tennessee at Martin. Congratulations and you may be seated. The deans will now identify members of the graduating class individually,” the usher will go to the first line that is to be sent to the stage for recognition
• Deans will go to the microphone located at stage left and read the names from the individual cards received from the student as they reach the top of the ramp
- Secretaries can obtain a list of the names from the Records Office to allow deans to check the phonetic pronunciation of the names during the week before commencement
• After their name is called the graduates will proceed across stage to receive a congratulatory letter from the Chancellor
- The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will hand the letters to the Chancellor
- The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will replace the box containing the letters as needed
Alma Mater
• Everyone is standing for the Alma Mater
• The Alma Mater is sung before the Mace Bearer retrieves the mace
Recessional
• As the recessional begins, all male faculty and platform participants should replace their caps
• Everyone is standing as the Recessional begins. The "Mace Bearer" retrieves the Mace during the last sentence of the Alma Mater and moves to the head of the aisle.
• The platform guests leave the platform in two lines and move to a position behind the "Mace Bearer." Wait before leading the platform guests to the ramp until the last word of the Alma Mater is sung, then lead them down the ramp.
• The "Mace Bearer" leads the recessional followed by the platform guests along the central aisle away from the platform.
• The faculty follows the platform guests off the main floor beginning with the faculty marshals
• The recessional ends when the faculty have left the main aisle. Graduates will not recess.
• Faculty may wish to congratulate graduates and be available for picture taking.
Reception
• A reception honoring the graduates will be held at the Skyhawk Fieldhouse immediately following the commencement program.
• Everyone is invited to attend. |
