Questions regarding University CommencementPlease feel free to contact the University Commencement office if you have any further questions or concerns regarding Commencement. Email: commencement@columbia.edu
Phone: 212-854-1753 Questions regarding Columbia College and SEAS Undergraduate Events
Please visit the CC and SEAS Web site Gradzone • When are degrees and certificates awarded?Degrees are awarded for all schools in October, February, and May. They are also awarded in June for some Health Sciences programs. Every candidate, regardless of graduation date, is invited to participate in the annual Commencement ceremony held in May, when degrees are officially conferred. For May graduates, diplomas are distributed only after degrees have been conferred at University Commencement. For more information about the University Commencement ceremony, click here.back to top • Are there tickets for Columbia's Commencement ceremony? Can anyone attend?Tickets to University Commencement are required for everyone except degree candidates and officers of the University in academic dress, and are valid only for the University Commencement. Each degree candidate will receive four tickets directly from his/her school in late April. The candidate will then distribute them to family and friends. Tickets are not mailed, unless by special arrangement made with the candidate's school. Arrangements must be made by the candidate rather than parents or friends. Each candidate is limited to four tickets total. The campus will be closed to the general public until the ceremony has ended. Tickets will be checked at designated entrance gates to the Morningside Campus, which open for ticket-holders at 8:30 a.m. Non-graduating students and employees with CUID may be on campus but should not expect to attend the ceremony without a ticket, as seating is very limited. In addition, all children require a ticket, unless they are small enough to be held on the lap of an adult during the event.For complete information on commencement and diploma issuance, please visit the Commencement Web site. back to top • How do I obtain my cap and gown for graduation?All academic regalia, including the cap and gown, is ordered through the Columbia University Bookstore. Please visit their Web site at www.columbia.bncollege.com for more information.Undergraduates and master's candidates do not need to pre-order regalia but can purchase their gowns at the bookstore. Master's candidates at Columbia do not receive hoods. PhD candidates must pre-order regalia for rental or purchase.back to top • What happens if it rains on the day that the University Commencement and school graduation ceremonies are scheduled?Bring an umbrella! Because of the size of the event, University Commencement will be held outside on Morningside Campus, rain or shine.Class Days and other school graduations are held in a variety of locations, many of which are indoors or under tents. Please check location information and prepare accordingly. In case of rain, the Baccalaureate Service, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences MA Convocation and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences PhD Convocation will not be preceded by a formal procession. Please watch the weather reports and be prepared for a variety of conditions.back to top • When and where is the 2009 University Commencement?Columbia University Commencement is historically held the third Wednesday of May. In 2009, University Commencement will be held Wednesday, May 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The candidate procession will begin at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony is a ticketed event held outdoors on Morningside campus. October 2008, February 2009, and May 2009 graduation candidates from every Columbia school are invited to participate in the ceremony. In addition to University Commencement, each of Columbia's eighteen schools will hold a graduation ceremony (sometimes called Class Day) during the week of May 17 to May 23, 2009. Inquiries about these ceremonies should be made directly to the schools. For more information about University Commencement, please visit the official Commencement Web site.back to top • Are there on-campus accommodations available for families during Commencement?There are limited on-campus accommodations available for guests during Commencement.The Commencement room package includes a double room with two twin beds and a shared bath with another family for three nights. The suite package includes two double rooms (total of four twin beds) and a private bath for three nights. Reservations for the families of graduating students from Columbia College and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning February 13, 2009. The accommodations will be opened up to all degree candidates' guests in late March if there is still availability. For more information, updates, and to make reservations, please visit the Housing Services Commencement Housing Web site. In addition to on-campus housing, off-campus accommodations for Commencement are also convenient. Some area hotels may offer special rates to Columbia guests; for a list of these hotels, please visit the Conference Housing Web site. It is recommended that you make your reservations for hotels in the Columbia neighborhood early. Please note that if neighborhood hotels become booked, the city's numerous midtown hotels are only a short subway ride from the University.back to top • Who will be speaking at Columbia’s Commencement ceremony?It is the Columbia tradition that the president of the University speaks at Commencement. There is no guest speaker at Commencement. However, many of the schools within Columbia have guest speakers at their individual ceremonies. Please contact the schools directly for this information.back to top • What is the difference between graduation and Commencement?Graduation is the term for completing your course of study at the University and fulfilling all the requirements for your degree. In order to graduate and obtain your diploma, you must submit an Application for Degree or Certificate with the Office of the Registrar.Commencement refers to the ceremony celebrating those who are receiving their degrees from Columbia in a given year. At the Commencement ceremony, degrees are symbolically conferred on candidates by the president of the University. Attending Commencement is not required to graduate from the University and receive your diploma. There is only one University Commencement ceremony for the year, which is held in May. All graduates from the previous October, and from February and May of the current year are invited to attend.
For more
information about graduation, please visit the Office of the
Registrar.
For more information about
Commencement, please visit the Commencement Web site at www.commencement.columbia.edu • When do graduating CC and SEAS undergraduate students need to move out of the residence halls?Unless they have made arrangements for summer housing, graduating CC and SEAS undergraduates must move out of university housing by noon on the day after the University Commencement ceremony.back to top • Is there parking available near Columbia during Commencement week?Parking in Morningside Heights on Commencement morning is challenging. On-campus parking, which is extremely limited, is not available to the general public during Commencement. It is strongly recommended that Commencement guests use public transportation to get to the ceremony if at all possible. The MTA subway line 1 stops just outside the gates of Morningside Campus, and many city buses run through the area.If you must drive, please leave plenty of time for a parking search and also allow time for walking to campus. There are only a few parking garages near campus; these fill up early during Commencement week and cannot be counted on for convenient parking. A shuttle bus is available to take guests with disabilities and their families to a designated campus gate near the accessible seating area. These passengers can be dropped off anywhere around the perimeter of Morningside Campus and will be shuttled to the designated gate. There is no designated parking for guests with disabilities. Finally, city parking rules will be in full effect during Commencement; please take note of meters and other parking regulations. Also, many of the streets surrounding campus are blocked off very early the morning of Commencement. If you park in a location near campus the night before Commencement, please diligently check for any signage indicating that the street will be closed. Failure to notice these signs may result in your car being towed. For more information on parking garages in the area, directions and other transportation, click here.back to top • Where can I get information about the Class Day or graduation ceremony for my school?Columbia University tradition holds that all degrees are conferred at the University Commencement ceremony in which members of all schools are invited to participate. However, each of the eighteen schools in the University also honors their graduates with a separate and unique event. Please note that these events are organized separately by each school and take place at various times and locations. Some may require tickets. Any questions that are not answered on the official Commencement Web site should be directed to the contact listed for each school. Although the Commencement Web site is updated regularly, please confirm with your school all dates, times and locations before making final plans, as some information may change. Undergraduates from Columbia College and the School of Engineering should visit Gradzone for more information.
For more information on school graduation ceremonies, class days and
receptions, as well as diploma pick-up times and locations, click here. • Is there a video recording available from Commencement?A webcast of the University Commencement ceremony is available for viewing online via the Commencement Web site. In addition to University Commencement, webcasts of the Class Day ceremonies for the School of General Studies, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Columbia College, as well as the Law School graduation ceremony, are available for viewing on the Web site. The webcasts will be available in RealPlayer and Live Multicast. If you need the required software, please follow the links on the Web site to download the free players to your computer. Please note: these webcasts are available to be viewed on demand via the Commencement Web site. There are no DVDs or downloadable copies available for purchase. Photos of University Commencement are not available for distribution or purchase. Please direct inquiries about photos taken at Class Day ceremonies directly to schools. Appropriate school contact information can be found on the Commencement Web site under "School Ceremonies and Events."back to top • What should I do if I’m sick or one of my guests isn’t well on the day of Commencement?If you or one of your guests is feeling ill on Commencement day (i.e., experiencing muscle aches, fever, fatigue, coughing, etc.), we respectfully request that you reconsider your attendance, for the sake of your own health and the health of those around you. To safeguard against the spread of illness, it is recommended that anyone feeling sick remain at home and resting until 24 hours after the symptoms pass. If you or one of your guests becomes ill during the ceremony, please notify an event host, an information booth staffer, or a member of Public Safety, all of whom will be able to find you medical attention. You may also call Health Services at Columbia University at 212-854-2284. To learn more about precautionary measures recommended for preventing the spread of illness, please visit the University’s prevention tips page. back to top• When is the Baccalaureate Service and who can attend?Columbia University will hold its annual Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, May 17, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. The service will be held at St. Paul's Chapel on the Morningside Campus. This service is for degree candidates from the undergraduate schools: Columbia College, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, General Studies, and Barnard.Families and friends of undergraduate candidates are warmly invited to attend. No tickets are required. Seating inside the chapel is limited and reserved primarily for the candidates. Guests will be accommodated in alternative seating outside the chapel with a simulcast of the service shown on monitors.back to top • Are children allowed at the University Commencement ceremony?Children are welcome at University Commencement. All children must have a ticket to attend unless they can be held on an adult's lap.Because of the tight space constraints it is recommended that you leave strollers at home. There is no stroller parking or storage available. If you must bring a stroller to Commencement, please do not use the general admissions gate to enter. Please enter at the accessible gate at Amsterdam and 115th Street. Please keep in mind that Commencement is a very crowded outdoor event with no extra space to move around and may prove to be a challenging environment for small children. Weather may vary, so please be prepared for a variety of conditions.back to top • Are there services for people with disabilities during Commencement?There is a host of services available at the Commencement ceremony for guests with disabilities and their parties. General admission tickets are sufficient to access these services. No special tickets are required.Guests in need of disability services and their parties should come to a specially designated gate (noted on the map on the back of the ticket) to facilitate easy entrance. They will then be escorted to an accessible seating area equipped with hearing assistance devices, closed-caption monitors, and large print programs. We are not able to offer special parking for guests with disabilities. However, a shuttle bus will be driving the campus perimeter before the ceremony to help transport guests to the designated gate. Click here for more detailed information about disability services during Commencement. back to top• What happens if it rains? How should I plan for Commencement day?The University Commencement ceremony will be held rain or shine. We would advise you to bring sunscreen and a hat as well as an umbrella or raincoat, should there be inclement weather.When possible, we encourage guests to bring their own water bottles in order to cut down on waste. As the University remains committed to global sustainability efforts, there will be clearly-marked recycling bins on the campus grounds during the Commencement ceremony; following the event, we would ask that guests deposit any unwanted plastic bottles or paper products (including programs), in these containers. back to top |
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