COMMENCEMENT WEEKEND 2012:

For Candidates Completing Degrees in December 2011; May, June or August 2012

Please note that Commencement Weekend is held once each year in May and includes both Bachelors and Masters Candidates. 

Wednesday, May 9 - Graduation Practice & Alumni Bash
Friday, May 11 - Sending Ceremony & Reception
Saturday, May 12 - Commencement

ELIGIBILITY:
If, for some reason, you will not be able to complete your degree requirements as planned, please contact your advisor to change your expected graduation date. You may participate in only one Commencement ceremony, and your name will appear in only one Commencement booklet. Changes in graduation date that are submitted after the publication of the Commencement booklet in early spring may preclude you from being listed in future booklets. Students completing degree requirements by August 18, 2012 may participate in the May 2012 ceremony provided they have nine or fewer hours (twelve or fewer hours for Avila Advantage graduates) to complete during the summer. If you have participated in a previous ceremony for your current degree, you are not eligible to participate again.

NOTE:
If applicable, a Perkins Loan exit interview must be completed by April 30, 2012. Interviews may be scheduled by calling the Business Office at (816) 501-3741. Questions regarding Commencement should be directed to Brenda Ayers in the Academic Affairs Office at (816) 501-3758.

Questions regarding diplomas should be directed to the Registration and Student Records Office at 816-501-2410. 

 

Graduation Practice &
Alumni Bash

Wednesday, May 9, 2012
4 p.m.
(Student Check-in begins at 3:45pm)
Mabee Fieldhouse

All Bachelor and Master Degree candidates participating in the commencement exercises are REQUIRED to attend this practice session.  Caps and gowns are not worn.  
 
Join us for the Alumni at Last Bash immediately following graduation practice.  As a welcome to the Alumni Association, members of the class of 2012 (undergraduate and graduate) will receive a free t-shirt and can grab a plate of appetizers and mingle with their classmates.  We hope you’ll take this opportunity to say goodbye to being a student, and hello to being an Alumni at Last!

Pinning Ceremonies

Nursing Pinning will be at 4 pm
Rad Tech Pinning will be at 4:30 pm

Sending Ceremony & Reception

Friday, May 11, 2012
6 p.m.
Jeanne Hamilton Olofson Plaza
(In case of inclement weather, this ceremony may be moved to the Mabee Fieldhouse)

This ceremony is to celebrate Avila’s Mission and Values and to bless and send our graduates. All Bachelor’s and Master’s degree candidates, their families and friends, faculty and staff are invited.

The Sending Ceremony lasts approximately 45 minutes with a reception following.  There are no tickets required, but we do request that graduates submit a reservation.  Please contact Tracy Owens at 816-501-2495 or Tracy.Owens@avila.edu  to submit or change your reservation.  Please limit your guests to four. 

Graduates are asked to dress business casual, no caps and gowns. Graduates should meet in the Goppert Lobby at 5:30 p.m.

Commencement Ceremony

Saturday, May 12, 2012
11:30 a.m.
Independence Events Center
19100 East Valley View Parkway
Independence, Missouri 64055

Student Instructions for Commencement Ceremony

http://www.independenceeventscenter.com/directions-parking.html
No guest limits or tickets required this year due to the larger venue.

Please allow two hours for the ceremony. ALL GUESTS, including those requiring special accommodations, should enter the building via the EAST ENTRANCE.  The SOUTH ENTRANCE is reserved for graduates and other participants only. 

CAP AND GOWN PICK-UP

If you have not ordered a cap and gown and plan to participate in Commencement, immediately contact Brenda Ayers at 816-501-3758.  A $25 late shipping fee will be added to orders placed after noon on April 27.  A $50 late shipping fee will be added to orders placed after May 3. 

The cost of the cap and gown is included in the $100 graduation fee which is automatically billed to the student accounts of all degree candidates.  The cap and gown belongs to the graduate and is not returned after the ceremony.   Caps and gowns ordered by April 1st are now available for pickup in the Bookstore during their regular hours:
Monday, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

Please note:  Be prepared to present a picture ID when you pick up your cap and gown.  If you send someone else to pick up your order, you must email brenda.ayers@avila.edu from your Avila student email account in advance stating that person’s name along with your permission for them to pick up the order.  Your financial obligations to the University must be current before your order can be released.  Please check your account on MyAU for holds and contact the Business Office at 816-510-3700 with questions. 

NAME PRONUNCIATION: 

If your name is difficult to pronounce and you missed the “Early Bird” Pronunciation sessions, please call the Academic Affairs Office at 816-501-3758 after 6 pm in the evening or on the weekend.   Leave a message, clearly stating your student ID# and your full name twice – exactly as you want it read at Commencement. 

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:

GRADUATES UNABLE TO ASCEND OR DESCEND STAIRS:  Please contact Brenda Ayers in the Academic Affairs Office immediately at 816-501-3758.

GUESTS UNABLE TO ASCEND OR DESCEND STAIRS:   There is no need for advance notification.  Enter the EAST ENTRANCE for assistance.  There is a small section of accessible seating on the floor level where guests will be seated on a first come first served basis.  Then staff will provide seating on an upper level via an elevator.  One additional guest may accompany the person needing accessible seating. 
For all other requests for special services , such as sign language interpreting, please contact Sharon Depperschmidt at 816-501-2427 or by email at Sharon.Depperschmidt@avila.edu by March 1, 2012 to ensure availability. 

Graduation Honors

Graduation honors are awarded for baccalaureate degrees only. Honors for the first
baccalaureate degree will be based on all work completed, including transfer work. Honors
for the second baccalaureate degree will be based on Avila University work only. Students
must have completed at least 64 hours of coursework at Avila after the completion of the
first degree to be eligible for honors.

Graduation honors are based on the cumulative grade point average as follows:
Summa cum laude ............. 3.900 – 4.000
Magna cum laude............... 3.700 – 3.899
Cum laude .......................... 3.500 – 3.699
Honors announced at the graduation ceremony will be based on the work completed the fall
semester prior to May graduation. If a student did not attend the fall semester, the
announced honors will be based on the grade point average from the last semester of
attendance prior to the fall semester.

Official honors will be recorded on the student’s diploma and transcript. Official honors are
based on the final grade point average after the last semester of coursework is completed.
Official honors may be different than those announced at graduation ceremony if a
student’s grade point average changes the status during the last semester of coursework.

Photography

A photographer from GradImages® will be present at the Commencement Ceremony.  An email will be sent to your Avila email account approximately 72 hours after the ceremony, when the proofs are available to view online. You may enter additional email accounts to receive notification by pre-registering on the GradImages website.

Proofs will also be mailed to you within 5-7 days following the ceremony.

Announcements

You may order announcements by phone or online (see the flyer). For class ring orders, you may contact Mike McClanahan from Kansas City Balfour at (913) 681-2421.