Undergraduate Commencement

Announcements	Nonattendance
Candidate Attire	Parking
Cap and Gown	Photographer
Ceremony Schedule	Picture Taking
Diploma	Rain Plan
Handicapped Parking and Seating	Reception
Hometown Press Release	Speaker
Hotels	Tickets
Map	Weather
Miscellaneous

 

Announcements:

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The St. Paul Bookstore will be hosting a "Grad Fest" on Wed. and Thurs., April 16 and 17 from 9am-6pm in the bookstore atrium.  Five free graduation announcements will be handed out at that time.  Additional announcements may be purchased in the Bookstore.  Personalized announcements can be ordered by connecting to the following link or through the St. Thomas Bookstore website.

Candidate Attire:
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In keeping with the solemnity of the occasion, graduates must wear university issued academic regalia, including cap and gown. Only University issued honor cords, medallions, and Kente cloth stoles are also approved for wear during the ceremony. No other oversized personal adornments, such as; flower leis, hats, signs, ribbons, or scarves are acceptable.

The cap should be worn with the mortarboard parallel to the ground and without any additional modification to the appearance. Candidates receiving their Bachelors degree should wear the tassel on the right side and it is then moved to the left side at the designated time.

It is recommended that personal clothing include dark pants for men, dark pants or skirts for women, and comfortable dark shoes.

Cap & Gown:

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The St. Paul Bookstore will be hosting a "Grad Fest" on Wed. and Thurs., April 16 and 17 from 9am-6pm in the bookstore atrium.  Caps, gowns and tassels will be distributed at that time.  If you are unable to attend, you may pick-up your cap, gown and tassel(s) at the St. Paul Bookstore: May 6-9 and May 13-16 from 9am-6pm. There is no charge for your cap and gown and you will need a picture I.D. when picking up your cap and gown. 

Commencement Ceremony Schedule
Saturday, May 17, 2 p.m.

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12:30 pm	Faculty and staff marshals report to Coughlan Field House to line up. Appropriate academic regalia is required.
1 pm	Doors open to O'Shaughnessy Stadium for guests.
1:30 pm	Undergraduate candidates report to Coughlan Field House to line up.
1:30 pm	Faculty and staff (non-marshals) report to Coughlan Field House to line up. Appropriate academic regalia is required.
2 pm	Commencement exercises begin with academic procession from Coughlan Field House .
3:30 pm	President's Reception in lower quad following the ceremony. Graduates, guests, faculty and administrators are invited. Reception will be held in Coughlan Field House in the event of inclement weather.

Diploma:

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You will receive your diploma when all requirements for the degree are completed. In addition, your tuition account must be paid in full and, if requested, you must complete a Perkins loan exit interview. Your diploma will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 8 weeks after all requirements are verified as completed.

All seniors who place a pre-paid order for diploma frames during "Grad Fest" on Wed. and Thurs., April 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. will receive a 10% discount on their pre-paid order. Diploma frames will be available for pickup the week of graduation.

The size of all diplomas is 8.5x11 inches.  Information on the diploma includes the name of the university, the university seal, the graduate’s name, the degree represented by the diploma, and the date of graduation.

Handicapped Parking and Seating:
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Handicapped parking is available on a first-come, first served basis.  The first three rows of parking lot H (Cretin and Summit avenues) closest to the stadium will be designated for those with a handicapped-parking permit. 

There are designated seating areas at the ceremony for people with mobility impairments.  These seats are on the floor/ground level.  People also can sit at the end of a row and ask an usher to remove a chair.  Ushers will be available to assist people with mobility issues.

Hometown press release:

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Hometown press releases are issued for all verified undergraduate and graduate students.  Please note that the list of verified students is not available until approximately one month after the end of a term.  In addition, it can take two to three weeks to process and mail the list.  Publication is at the discretion of local newspapers.  If you have questions regarding the releases, please e-mail Tom Couillard at tecouillard@stthomas.edu. 

Hotels:

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St. Paul (10 minutes from campus)
Crowne Plaza Hotel
11 E. Kellogg Blvd.
(651) 292-1900

Embassy Suites Hotel
175 E. 10th Street
(651) 224-5400

St. Paul Hotel
350 Market Street
(651) 292-9292
(800) 292-9292

Holiday Inn Express—Bandana Square (not downtown—10 minutes from campus)
1010 W. Bandana Blvd.
(651) 647-1637

Roseville (10 minutes from campus)
Days Inn Roseville
2550 Cleveland Avenue No.
(651) 636-7939

Minneapolis (downtown—10-15 minutes from campus)
Doubletree Guest Suites
1101 LaSalle Avenue
(800) 222-TREE

Bloomington (near the airport and Mall of America—15-20 minutes from campus)
Comfort Inn—Airport
1321 E. 78th Street
(952) 854-3400
(800) 228-5150

Comfort Inn & Suites — Mall of America
2221 Killebrew Drive
(952) 854-5555
(800) 456-4000

Holiday Inn Select—Airport
3 Appletree Square
(952) 854-9000

Important Note: Alcohol is strictly prohibited during the procession and ceremony.

Map:

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Click on this link for the campus map.  Please note that Coughlan Field House  is "16A" on the map.  http://www.stthomas.edu/maps/

Miscellaneous:

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Students and faculty do not leave valuables in the field house during line up.

You may walk a distance from your car to the location of the ceremony so plan accordingly.

Come prepared with hats, sunglasses and sunscreen for the outdoor ceremony.

Nonattendance:

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You should notify Barbara Rath at barath@stthomas.edu or 651-962-6708 if you do not plan to attend the ceremony.

Parking:

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Parking is available at all of the parking lots and in a parking ramp, the ramp is located at the northeast corner of O'Shaughnessy Stadium at Morrison Hall. Enter the ramp from the south end of the building, parking in the ramp is free. Please note that lots are available on the north and south campus. Call the parking line at 651-962-PARK for up to date on campus parking information the day of Commencement.

Below is a link to campus maps. http://www.stthomas.edu/campusmaps

Photographer:

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A professional photographer from Chappell Studio, Inc. will take your picture as you receive your diploma. You will receive a passport-sized full-color proof in the mail approximately one week after the ceremony, with no obligation to purchase. www.gradimages.com or (800) 424-3686

Picture Taking:

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Picture taking on or near the stage is prohibited.

Rain Plan: 

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In the event that weather does not permit the ceremony to be held in the stadium an announcement will be made on WCCO radio, AM 830. The decision to move the undergraduate ceremony indoors will be communicated to WCCO by 12noon the day of the ceremony. The commencement website will also be updated with this information and the event line, 651-962-7434.

The ceremony will be held in Schoenecker Arena for graduates and faculty only. All family and guests will be directed by ushers to video viewing sites on both north and south campus. Campus maps can be accessed on-line. The majority of mobility impaired seating will be in Murray-Herrick Campus Center. The ceremony can also be viewed on-line by accessing the UST Commencement website then click on Video in the bottom right corner. The video can only be viewed the day of Commencement.

The President's reception will take place in Coughlan Field house following the ceremony. The reception would be the most convenient place for guests to meet up with the graduates.

All graduates should report to Coughlan Field house at 1:30 p.m. for line-up. Faculty marshals report to the field house at 1 p.m., all other faculty report to the field house at 1:30 p.m.

Parents and friends may view from different on-campus locations.

View List of on-campus video viewing sites.

Reception:

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A reception will immediately follow the ceremony in the lower quad.  Reception will be held in Coughlan Field House in the event of inclement weather.

Speaker:

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Megan Doyle, co-founder and board vice chairwoman of Hope for the City, an Edina-based nonprofit relief organization, will deliver the commencement address.  Doyle and her husband, Dennis, created Hope for the City in 2000 with one paid employee, a rented truck and a great idea; to fight poverty, hunger and disease by utilizing corporate surpluses.  The organization, which now has eight employees and 30 volunteers, collects overstock products from top retailers, medical companies, and food distributors nationwide and donates the items to people in need locally, across the country and around the world.  Since its inception, Hope for the City has donated approximately $400 million in wholesale value of goods.  Donations have included everything from lint rollers and shampoo to all the supplies necessary to start a hospital.  The Doyles also will be awarded honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees at the ceremonies.

Tickets:

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No tickets are needed for this graduation ceremony.

Weather:

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Please click here for the most current weather conditions.