Winter Commencement will take place Monday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. in the gymnasium on Stevenson University’s Greenspring campus and will last around two hours.
Commencement will feature a handful of selected speakers as well as the announcement of awards, possibly including the Elizabeth McWethy Award, the Marion and Henry J. Knott Achievement Award, the John Mitchell Award, the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Scholarship, the Orsia F. Young Leadership Award, the President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Achievement, the Dorothy Stang Award and the Outstanding Part-Time Student Award.
Graduating students are expected to arrive no later than 45 minutes before the start of commencement. The ceremony will start at 3 p.m., even if all students are not present.
Students who have guests needing special accommodations should email Lisa C. Labrecque prior to the day of the event.
Academic honors for bachelor’s degrees will be listed on each student’s diploma and on the official academic transcript based on the final cumulative GPA. The Regsitrar’s Office notes: “This may differ from the academic honors announced during the Commencement ceremony, which is based on your cumulative GPA prior to the final semester.”
Cum Laude 3.50 – 3.69
Magna Cum Laude 3.70 – 3.89
Summa Cum Laude 3.90 – 4.00
Fashion merchandising senior Tricia Spellmon will be the student speaker for the ceremony. She will talk about her memories at Stevenson and the “power [students] hold for our futures.”
Spellmon felt inclined to speak at Commencement because she values her experiences and connections at Stevenson. Her campus involvement is important to her; she is the president of the Fashion, Apparel, and Design club; and she is a student ambassador and a member of two honor societies.
Members of the Stevenson Board of Trustees are invited to participate in the ceremony as part of the stage party. Dr. Elliot Hirshman, Stevenson University president, will welcome the graduates and their families, and Dr. Susan Gorman, provost, will preside.
The Registrar’s Office encourages graduates to review and listen to the Alma Mater that will be sung together at the end of the ceremony. Senior Emma Cathy Smith recorded this song.
Students are allowed to decorate the top of the graduation cap, if desired. Decorations must not be three-dimensional; nothing can dangle off the cap other than the tassel, and decorations cannot vertically protrude. Senior legal studies major Norman Greenwell said one of his favorite parts about Commencement is decorating his graduation cap.
Professional photographers will be documenting the ceremony. Students are not allowed to take selfies walking across the stage.
Doors will open an hour before the ceremony for guests of graduates, and seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Overflow seating will be available in the Inscape Theater in the Manuszak Center, but tickets are not needed for overflow seating. The ceremony will also be streaming live online. The link will be available at stevenson.edu/commencement. Friends and family may watch the ceremony from anywhere they have internet access.
If graduating students have not picked up their tickets, starting Thursday, Dec. 5, tickets can be picked up at the Registrar’s office on the Greenspring campus. Students need their ID to receive tickets.