The diplomas are in place and the caps and gowns have all been distributed. On April 30, 527 graduates will walk across the stage during Waynesburg University’s 166th commencement ceremony. Of those 527, there are 368 main campus undergraduates, 155 graduate program students and four students earning their Ph.D.s.
Of the 368 undergraduate seniors, 258 students have applied and expect to graduate in Spring 2017.
While walking across a stage, grabbing a diploma and moving a tassel from right to left may seem simple to some, planning commencement at Waynesburg University is a year-long process.
For Mary Fox, the university event planner, meeting throughout the year with the rest of the commencement planning committee is the best way to ensure preparation.
“We always review how things went and try to improve the following year,” said Fox. “We begin planning in the summer after commencement and meet regularly throughout the year.”
The day of commencement will begin at 10 a.m., as graduates and faculty arrive at the Marsh Center in Roberts Chapel and guests take their seats. At 11 a.m., there will be a Baccalaureate Service in Roberts Chapel.
Following the Baccalaureate Service, there will be a Graduate Buffet Luncheon for those who have tickets at 11:30. Another lunch will begin at 12:30, ending in time for graduates to congregate at 1 p.m.
After lunch, the commencement ceremony will officially begin on Miller Hall’s Lawn at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a reception for the new graduates and their families in Fountain Park.
Year after year, according to Fox, the biggest challenge for planning commencement has been preparing for inclement weather. To alleviate this problem, they’ve begun planning for two ceremonies each year.
“We completely plan for inside and completely plan for outside,” said Fox. “If the weather changes quickly and we have to move inside, we have our inclement weather plan ready to execute.”
Typically, commencement is held on the lawn in front of Miller Hall, but if inclement weather arises, the ceremony will be moved indoors to Marisa Fieldhouse—also known as the “old gym.”
The Alumni Family reception following commencement will also be held in Marisa Fieldhouse in this case. If the ceremony is held indoors, each graduate will only be able to invite family members to the ceremony due to the size of the gym. This is now done ahead of time on the ticket distributing website, Ticketleap.
The decision to change locations is usually made the day of commencement, according to Fox, as all efforts are made by the university to hold the event outside.
Other than weather-related issues, any other problems that arise are immediately addressed following commencement and are fixed for the following year.
“We constantly review our planning documents in order to make improvements year after year,” said Fox.
The biggest focus of Fox and other university members who plan commencement has been communication with the graduating seniors and their families.
“We want the information going out to graduates and their families to be clear and consistent,” said Fox.
To stay connected, students are encouraged to go to the “Commencement Information” tab on myConnect. They can also e-mail commencement@waynesburg.edu.