Office of the Registrar

From: Office of the Registrar

Instructions for PhD Graduates

Processional Line Up

• Graduates, immediately upon arriving for the processional, check in with the PhD Marshal and pick up your processional card. The marshal will be positioned next the tall sign with your alpha split.
• Graduates, line up for the procession in assigned order (according to the number on your processional card distributed). It is critical to remain in the assigned order to ensure every graduate receives the correct diploma.
• Escorts line up NEXT TO your graduate and process in a parallel line. Escorts- follow the specific instructions you received from the Office of the Registrar earlier this week.
• All, follow your Graduate Marshal’s lead during the processional. 
• All, after entering the stadium, the two lines of graduates and escorts complete the seating process sequentially. Graduates sit next to escorts in the assigned order. 
• You must stay at your seat until you have been formally checked in by your lead marshal on the field.

Ceremony

• When PhD diploma distribution begins, the lineup will happen under the guidance of the lead PhD Marshal.
• Escorts hood the graduates prior to walking onto the stage.  It’s critical that this happen efficiently so that it does not slow down the diploma distribution.
  • There will be sufficient time for escorts to move to any additional graduates to hood them, if necessary. Escorts with multiple graduates cannot reorder the seating order to sit next to all of their students.

Diploma distribution

• Graduates will move toward the stage and be hooded by their escorts prior to accessing the stage. Escorts, return to your seat as soon as you hood your graduate.
• Graduate stops at the edge of the stage and waits until their name is called to cross the stage.
• Graduate moves toward President Murthy and receives their diploma from her.
• Graduate continues crossing the stage and exits the other side of the stage.
• Graduates return to their seat.
• Escorts with additional graduates wait at the hooding station for their other graduates or leave their seat to join their next graduate when it is there turn to get hooded.