Dear graduates, family members, friends, faculty, staff, and members of the IU Southeast community: As you know, our planned May 12, 2014 commencement ceremony was cancelled prior to completion of the full program due to unsafe weather conditions. Though degrees were conferred, our students did not get their moment to proudly stand on the stage as their names were called. In order to give our students the recognition they have earned and deserve, we will hold five school-level alternate ceremonies next week. The schedule will be as follows: Monday, May 19th – Social Sciences and General Studies Tuesday, May 20th – School of Business Wednesday, May 21st – School of Nursing and School of Natural Sciences Thursday, May 22nd – School of Education Friday, May 23rd – School of Arts and Letters Timing of events will be: 5:00 pm – Doors open 6:00 pm – Graduates will line up for procession 6:30 pm – Ceremony will begin Graduates will be guided to a room where you will be fitted with a gown, and we ask that you bring your caps with you if you want to wear them in the ceremony. All ceremonies will be held in Stem Hall of the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center. Since school ceremonies will be much smaller and more intimate than the all-campus ceremony we had planned, we hope to be able to accommodate all of our guests for each ceremony in the 500 seats available in the Ogle Center. Should more seating be needed, however, we will have overflow seating for an additional 350 people available in Robinson Theater, with a video feed to the ceremony. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. We will also have a photographer available to take your photo in your academic regalia, should you be interested in this option. After each ceremony we will have a reception in the Ogle Lobby where graduates may introduce your family to faculty members from your school, as well as to campus administrators. The program will include all the key elements of the ceremony that was planned for May 12. There will be many fewer graduates at each ceremony, however, so we anticipate the full program will take somewhere around 1.5 hours. Again, please know that we share your deep disappointment with regard to the outcome of events on Monday. The population of graduates at IU Southeast has grown so much in recent years that we’ve outgrown the space we have on campus to accommodate your needs. University and campus administration are working together to address this situation, and significant changes are already underway so that in future years we will be able to have all the space we need for all graduates to invite as many guests as you desire and still be protected from inclement weather. If you have questions regarding our alternative ceremonies, please send email to [email protected] and we will send an answer as soon as possible. I look forward to shaking each graduate’s hand during ceremonies next week, and I will acknowledge each graduate during the ceremony with a gift that recognizes the unique and unprecedented features of the 2014 commencement. Respectfully, Barbara Bichelmeyer PS – Please help us get the word out to your fellow graduates, by encouraging them to check their email. We want to ensure that each graduate has an opportunity to participate.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 12:51:18 +0000
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