Commencement Participation Guide

What is your role?

With so many ways to volunteer for Commencement, it might be a little confusing. The guide below should help you out. 

• Grand Marshal

  This role is filled by the chair of the Faculty Senate. The Grand Marshal leads the processional and recessional, bears the University Mace and calls the Commencement ceremonies to order.

• Faculty Marshal

  Faculty Marshals are asked to serve by the Commencement Office. Faculty Marshals lead in the two lines of faculty members at each Commencement ceremony. Faculty Marshals are first chosen from collegiate professors and then chosen from faculty signed up for a given ceremony.

• School Marshal

  School Marshals are asked to serve by their respective schools. If you have been asked to serve as a School Marshal, you will lead in the students from your school (not department) alongside the Student Marshal.

• Departmental Marshal

  Some schools will select a Department Marshal(s) in addition to their School Marshals. Department Marshals lead in the students from their respective department. For example, CCPA will have a School Marshal, and will also have four Department Marshals.

• Stage Faculty

  Stage Faculty are all faculty who wish to participate in Commencement. Stage faculty will dress in the regalia representative of their degree, process in behind the Faculty Marshals and sit on stage on the risers behind the Platform Party. Stage Faculty and Platform Party are different. Commencement invites and encourages all faculty to participate in a ceremony (or more)!

• Platform Party

  Platform Party members are invited to participate in Commencement by the Commencement Office or by their respective school. Stage Faculty and Platform Party are different. As Platform Party, you are considered a special guest of that school for that ceremony. You will sit in the first two rows on the stage and will be recognized by name by the President during the ceremony.

• Hooding Faculty

  You are hooding faculty if you will be hooding a student during the Graduate Ceremony. As hooding faculty, you sit on the floor with your student.