Changes to the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS | The letter below was sent to Faculty on March 26:

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share information about the 2018 LMU Undergraduate Commencement. As you may recall, at the conclusion of last year’s ceremony, it was evident that we needed to change our strategy by adapting our ceremony to accommodate the university’s growth. The length of our undergraduate ceremony has increased, and in turn, many students and families left early in 2017. This resulted in a diminished experience for the platform party, those watching the live feed, and most importantly, for the graduates whose names were called later in the ceremony, as well as their families. Our goal has always been to provide a respectful and impactful ceremony, one that allows the university to celebrate our students, their accomplishments and the extraordinary work of our faculty and higher education professionals.

As a result of these concerns, the 2018 Commencement Committee has been working hard at modeling different formats and options for the ceremony. The committee was attentive to reducing the time and modifying particular features of the ceremony, while also creating incentives and new traditions for students to remain throughout the event. I consulted regularly with the chair of the committee and came away impressed by their creativity, logistical acumen, and attention to cura personalis.

I am delighted to announce that a new format was developed for the 2018 LMU Undergraduate Commencement, which will be held in Sunken Garden on Saturday, May 5 and is estimated to last approximately two hours. Some of the significant changes for 2018 include:

Recipients of the Marian Award, Ignatian Award, Scholar of the Year Award, the Valedictorians, and the faculty awards will be announced at the Academic Awards Convocation before Commencement. This year, it will occur on April 19, 2018.
Faculty award recipients will be honored again at the First Year Convocation in August, which will be moved to Friday this year. We are also including parents and are hoping for a larger faculty presence to make the audience for the recognition more significant. Additionally, this will provide our new students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with some of the accomplishments of our faculty.
The Commencement program has been revised to include photos and bios of the award recipients and a brief description of each award listed above. We will also have those same photos of students and faculty members appear on the jumbotrons during the pre-ceremony slide show.
Students will enter the stage from both sides of Sunken Garden. Name readers on either side of the stage will alternate so there is a constant flow of students from both sides. The students will approach either President Snyder or Trustee Chair Viviano, shake hands, accept the diploma cover, then exit the stage down the center steps, returning to their seats. We are also widening the ramp on the west side of the stage to accommodate those who are unable to traverse the steps.
The change in seating and the flow of students to two opposite sides of the stage make it necessary to move the faculty meet and greet until after the ceremony. There will be school-branded backdrops for photo opportunities with students and faculty at each school/college reception.

More information regarding Commencement Weekend will be shared with you within the next few weeks, but in the meanwhile, here is some information at a glance:

Commencement Mass
Friday, May 4, 2018
Gersten Pavilion
Faculty will continue to gather in the Burns Rec lobby to prepare for the procession.

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Faculty will continue to gather at Doheny Plaza in preparation for the procession.

Graduate Commencement Ceremony (no changes to the ceremony this year)
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Faculty will continue to gather at Foley Lobby in preparation of the procession.

Regards,