Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
Phone: 216.687.5045
CEREMONY DAY
Arrival Information
Parking | Guest Accommodations | Special Accommodations
Commencement Program
General Information
Assembly Procedures
Ceremony I | Ceremony II
Processional | Conferring of Degrees | Recessional
ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Parking
Free parking is available for graduates and their guests in all University lots except Lot Z, which is reserved.
Your guests may enter the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center through all open doors except Gate C, which is reserved for graduates only.
Seating is plentiful and on a first-come, first-seated basis. Please honor the reserved seat section for guests of our President, Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients. These seats will be roped off and monitored by an usher.
For the convenience and comfort of your guests, the concourse area offers many services, including the following:
- Food and beverages
- Restrooms
- Elevator (located near Gate A by the Ticket Office window)
- First Aid
- Flowers (available for purchase)
- University memorabilia tables
- Public Safety
Special Accommodations
For the convenience of guests requiring special accommodations, it is recommended that they enter the Wolstein Center via Gate D, located near E. 18th Street and Prospect Avenue.
If your guest(s) requires special accommodations due to a physical disability, please arrive early. There are a limited number of wheelchair-accessible seats available along the main concourse area. Please see an usher for assistance.
Limited monitored parking for guests with a blue Handicapped parking decal is available in the lot located directly in front of the Wolstein Center, enter off East 18th and Prospect Avenue.
COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM
General Information
The University Commencement Ceremony is full of academic tradition and will involve graduating students, faculty and staff.
The ceremony may take approximately 2.5 hours, and features individual recognition of graduates, by name, as they walk across the stage. Ph.D. and Doctoral candidates are hooded on stage.
Individual recognition is very important to each graduate as well as their family and friends. As a courtesy to everyone attending the ceremony, loud and disruptive behavior by members of the audience will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the ceremony by campus police.
Each College has an information table and volunteers are available to assist you with last-minute details.
Graduates are expected to come prepared with their gown, cap, tassel and hood, if appropriate.
Restroom space is limited in the tunnel area and there are no facilities available for storing purses, coats, or other items you may be carrying. Please leave these items with your guests. The University is not responsible for items left unattended.
ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES
Ceremony I
The Colleges of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, and Urban Affairs
All graduates must report to GATE C. Procession begins PROMPTLY at 9:30 a.m. Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m.
8:30 a.m. — ROBING
Once you enter Gate C, you will be directed to the tunnel staging area for further instructions.
9:00 a.m. — ASSEMBLY
Each College is assigned a specific space within the tunnel staging area. Volunteers organize the graduates into two lines for the processional.
- Undergraduate students tassels on the right.
- Graduate students and Ph.D./Doctoral candidates tassels on the left.
9:30 a.m. — PROCESSIONAL
The two lines are led out of the tunnel area and into the arena by College Marshals.
Ceremony II
The Colleges of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Science, and Engineering
All graduates must report to GATE C. Procession begins PROMPTLY at 2:00 p.m. Ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m. — ROBING
Once you enter Gate C, you will be directed to the tunnel staging area for further instructions.
1:30 p.m. — ASSEMBLY
Each College is assigned a specific space within the tunnel staging area. Volunteers organize the graduates into two lines for the processional.
- Undergraduate students tassels on the right
- Graduate students and Ph.D./Doctoral candidates tassels on the left.
2:00 p.m. — PROCESSIONAL
The two lines are led out of the tunnel area and into the arena by College Marshals.
Please turn off all cell phones before leaving the tunnel. These devices MUST remain off until the ceremony concludes.
Graduates and their guests are asked to refrain from disruptive behavior. Excessive loud behavior will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the ceremony by campus police.
- The academic procession starts in the tunnel staging area. It is organized by College and will proceed into the arena.
- College Marshals organize each group - the order of march is:
- Ph.D./Doctoral candidates and their Advisors
- Graduate candidates and undergraduate candidates from each College
- Faculty and the Platform Party
- When you reach your seat in the arena, please remain standing until the Platform Party has arrived and the National Anthem has been completed.
Conferring of Degrees
Following the National Anthem, and at the beginning of the degree-conferring segment of the ceremony, the Provost and the Deans don their hats. All graduates may then don their hats - tassels on the right for Undergraduates, tassels on the left for Graduate students and Ph.D./Doctoral candidates.
The ceremony features individual recognition of the graduates, by name, as they walk across the stage. After leaving the stage, graduates return to their assigned seats. College Marshals are assigned to each row to assist as you return to your seat.
As a courtesy to all Cleveland State University graduates and their guests, please do not leave the arena until the ceremony is completely over!
Following the conferring of all degrees, the Class Valedictorian instructs the Undergraduates from the Class of 2008 to shift their tassels from right to left. This ritual should be done in unison, signifying the completion of the graduation process.
Recessional
At the end of the University ceremony, the academic recession leaves the arena in the reverse order of the procession.
Your guests should remain standing by their seats until the end of the ceremony. Make prior arrangements with your guests on where you will meet following the ceremony.