May 2013 Graduation
Undergraduate Students
Commencement Weekend 2013 is May 11-12! Because ESF and SU share Commencement ceremonies, you will also receive information from SU. If you have not received an SU mailing by March 30, contact SU Office of Special Events, 315-443-4631.
All undergraduate students who will satisfy degree requirements by May or August 2013, and those who completed their degree in December 2012, are expected to participate in Convocation and Commencement. You must complete the Application for Graduation and return it to the Registrar’s Office, 111 Bray Hall, by Friday, April 12. If you do not meet this deadline, your name will not appear in the convocation program.
Convocation and Commencement are different in their objectives. Convocation is a less formal ceremony in which the ESF community recognizes the achievements of graduating students. Cap and gown are required. Commencement is a more public and formal ceremony that officially marks the end of graduating students’ ESF careers. Degrees will be awarded at this time and full academic dress is required.
Members of the graduating class are strongly encouraged to attend both events so that they may receive the recognition they undoubtedly deserve.
Be sure to thoroughly read the “Convocation Logistics” section below. It will give you a good idea of how things will work graduation weekend.
Commencement Weekend Schedule
NOTE: Tickets are NOT required for Convocation on Saturday. If you would like to attend the Spring Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 20, you must contact Student Affairs at 315-470-6658.
NOTE: Tickets are NOT required at Commencement at the Carrier Dome on Sunday.
| Wednesday, May 8 | 3:30 pm—Convocation Rehearsal, Marshall Auditorium - Followed by the Champagne Toast on the ESF Quad, sponsored by the ESF Alumni Association [Rain location: Nifkin Lounge, Marshall Hall] |
| Thursday, May 9 | 10:00 am—Commencement rehearsal in Carrier Dome (enter at Gate “D”) |
| Saturday, May 11 | 10:00 am—Curriculum-Specific Faculty Receptions for Degree Candidates, their Guests, and Members of the ESF College Community! Locations of Curriculum Specific Faculty Receptions: Chemistry: 130 Jahn Environmental Studies: Nifkin (Alumni) Lounge EFB/Biotechnology (all majors) - Illick Foyer Environmental Resources Engineering: Gateway Center Environmental Science: 3rd Floor Baker, Snack Bar Forest and Natural Resources Management: 1st Floor Bray Hall Rotunda Landscape Architecture: 327 Marshall/3rd Floor Corridor Paper and Bioprocess Engineering: Walters, 2nd Floor Lobby Sustainable Construction Management and Engineering: Baker Lobby by the "Tree" |
| 12:30 pm—Students Line up, John H. Mulroy Civic Center | |
| 1:00 pm—Convocation, John H. Mulroy Civic Center | |
| Sunday, May 12 | 7:30 am—Master's and Ph.D. Continental Breakfast, Gateway Center |
| 7:45 am—Higher Degree Ceremony, Gateway Center | |
| 8:00 am—Undergraduate Continental Breakfast, Nifkin Lounge | |
| 8:45 am—ESF Procession to Dome - ESF Quad | |
| 9:15 am—Academic Procession | |
| 9:30 am—Commencement will begin at the end of the procession |
Caps and Gowns
Those who participate in Commencement Weekend are required to wear academic attire. You can obtain these items in the Bray Hall Rotunda, Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, 11am to 3pm. There is no charge to undergraduate students for the cap and gown.
“I’m Graduating! What Do I Do Now?”
Need help with job search techniques, writing your resume, interview skills, employer contacts? Have you established contacts to obtain references? There is a way to maintain contact with ESF and to look for employment opportunities. Stop by 110 Bray Hall and see all that is available!
Annual Spring Awards Banquet
This annual ESF event will be held April 20, 2013 at Drumlins Country Club. This semi-formal dinner recognizes the scholarship, service and contributions of ESF students. Dancing will follow that formal program. This is the biggest social event of the year! Get your tickets as soon as they go on sale, watch for advertisements!
Graduation Invitations
If you’d like souvenir invitations, you can pick them up in 14 Bray Hall beginning Monday, April 8. Limit 5 per graduate. Please bring your ESF I.D. with you.
Senior Class News
Any ideas for the Senior Class Gift? Share your thoughts with other class members at the upcoming Senior Class Meeting. Watch for meeting announcements in e-mail and posted around campus! We’ll also be discussing the Year-in-Review Senior Slideshow which will be presented at the Spring Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 20. If you can’t attend but have some input, leave a message for the Senior Class Chair, Jocelyn Gan, jogan@syr.edu, in 14 Bray Hall.
Guests With Limited Mobility
Both the Civic Center and the Carrier Dome have wheelchair accessible doors on the lower level, and space where guests in wheelchairs can comfortably view the ceremonies. For Convocation, guests in wheelchairs or those who need assistance should enter the Civic Center via Montgomery Street. For Commencement, guests requiring special accommodations can be dropped off in front of the Carrier Dome while someone else parks the car.
Guests Who Are Hearing Impaired
We will be happy to make arrangements to have a sign language interpreter at Convocation on Saturday. Simply call the Student Affairs Office (315-470-6658) prior to April 12. The Commencement ceremonies are signed; several interpreters are located throughout the Dome. Seating locations for hearing impaired guests will be posted in the Carrier Dome.
Lights, Camera, ACTION!
The 23rd Annual ESF Year-In-Review is in the planning stages right now! The presentation will feature as many graduates as possible. We need prints or slides of you and your ESF buddies (the funnier the better!). Please e-mail photos to Jocelyn Gan at jogan@syr.edu or items can be dropped off in 14 Bray Hall. All will be returned if marked with your name and address. The presentation will be featured at the Spring Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 20th.
Dining, Lodging, Directions & Parking
Syracuse Area Dining & Lodging
Guest rooms are at a premium during Commencement Weekend. If you will need accommodations, make those arrangements NOW! Very few motels in the metropolitan Syracuse area still have rooms available. You may be able to locate rooms in Auburn, Utica, Cortland, and other towns close to Syracuse. AAA members may wish to contact the Syracuse area office at (315) 451-2000 for more detailed information. Also, check the SU Commencement information on reserving space in SU residence halls—space is limited! Hotel Links: www.esf.edu/maps/lodging.htm
Listed below are some nearby locations for dining out during Commencement Weekend. Let’s face it, if someone is taking you out to dinner, you’ll probably want to go some place other than the local pizza joint!
| Saratoga Steak 200 Waring Rd. 445-1976 |
Dominick’s 1370 Burnet Ave. 471-4262 |
Glen Loch – Jamesville 4626 North St. 469-6969 |
| Kitty Hoynes 301 W. Fayette St. 424-1974 |
Pastabilities 311 S. Franklin St. 474-1153 |
Phoebe’s 900 E. Genesee 475-5154 |
There are many additional fine restaurants listed in the Syracuse Yellow Pages. Due to the number of people who will be in Syracuse during Commencement Weekend, reservations should be made well in advance!
Syracuse University will also host different Commencement Eve Dining Options. You can learn more by visiting Syracuse University's Commencement website at:
On-campus Parking (ESF and SU)
A limited number of ESF campus parking permits will be available in 14 Bray Hall beginning Monday, April 8th, on a first come-first served basis. One permit per family; extra permits may be available Monday, May 6th, depending upon supply. Please bring your ESF I.D. with you when you come to pick up your permit.
Additionally, all Syracuse University lots will be open throughout the weekend.
Convocation Logistics
May 11, 2013 - John H. Mulroy Civic Center
- You must be at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center by 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 11. Students will be arranged by curriculum and you will be instructed about your “name card”. You will then process into the auditorium according to your program of study.
- The ceremony will begin PROMPTLY AT 1:00 p.m. The Provost will begin his remarks at 1:00 p.m., and all participants will already be seated.
- Each degree candidate in attendance will be individually recognized. Your name will be announced, and you will cross the stage to shake hands with the President of the College and the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
- Individual recognition of undergrads will begin after the Senior Speaker gives their brief remarks.
- All students will follow a counter-clockwise pattern to receive recognition. They will rise, and proceed to their right into the aisle and up the stairs. Students will hand a name card to their faculty chair at the podium on the left, then cross the stage, shake hands with the President of the College and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and return to their seat on the Auditorium floor.
- The same format is followed for each of the remaining curricula. The students seated at the end of the left side aisle will be signaled by a Commencement Host as to when to rise and form a line, so that “lag time” between people crossing the stage is held to a minimum. If you are the last student in each curriculum who will cross the stage, you will receive a different color name card. This will notify your faculty chair that you are the final student from your curriculum to cross the stage.
Additional Information
- Convocation Rehearsal: Wednesday, May 8, at 3:30 p.m. in Marshall Auditorium. Followed by a Champagne Toast and Senior Mixer on the ESF Quad.
- You will wear a cap and gown at Convocation as well as Commencement. There is no charge for undergraduates but there is a charger for master's and Ph.D. The prices for Masters are $38.95 for cap and gown and $29.95 for the Masters keeper hood. The price for the doctoral cap and gown rental is $40.95. You can pick these up in Bray Rotunda, May 1st and May 2nd from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will need a parking pass from the Student Affairs Office in order to park on campus during Commencement Weekend. A limited numbers of passes are available. Stop by 14 Bray to obtain a pass beginning Monday, April 8th.
- Commencement invitations are available from 14 Bray beginning Monday, April 8. First come first served, but limited to 5 per graduate.
Other questions or concerns? Call us in 14 Bray at 315-470-6658.
