How and when can students order their regalia?

Students will order their regalia by visiting the Jostens website, to be picked up at Senior Salute. If you have not ordered regalia, please contact Jamie Wallen at wallenj@juniata.edu by April 18, 2025. Commencement participants must have appropriate academic regalia. 

What is Senior Salute?

Seniors are expected to participate in Senior Salute on Thursday, April 3, 2025. This is a one-stop graduation event where seniors can attend to graduation plans and complete steps required for Commencement. Your caps and gowns will be available for pick up at this time. This event also gives you the opportunity to check in with all relevant offices in anticipation of your graduation day.

When is the Awards Convocation?

Springs awards will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 4:00 PM in Rosenberger Auditorium, Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

All graduating seniors are expected to participate in the Awards Convocation and to wear graduation regalia (cap and gown) for the event. Regalia should be picked up at Senior Salute.

Graduates should gather on the Campus Quad by 3:30 PM. The procession from the Quad to Rosenberger Auditorium will begin no later than 3:45 PM to ensure a prompt start of the ceremony. For this event students will not process in alphabetical order.

Classes are cancelled from 3:20-5:30 PM to enable student and faculty participation.

Immediately following the Convocation, seniors will gather in Memorial Gymnasium in the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center for the class photo.

When and where will the commencement ceremony take place?

Commencement will be held on the Campus Quad located in front of Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 17, 2025. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in Memorial Gymnasium in the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center.

Do we need tickets/wristbands for the ceremony?

In good weather, unlimited seating is available on the quad in front of Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts, and wristbands will not be necessary. However, to ensure adequate indoor seating for all families in case of rain, graduates will receive a limited number of wristbands for Commencement. All graduates will receive four wristbands. If Special Needs wristbands are needed, they should be requested at Senior Salute at the Accessibility Services table. If the ceremony is held in the Sports+Recreation Center because of inclement weather, these wristbands are required for entrance to Memorial Gymnasium. The doors to the gymnasium will open at 8:00 AM. If you would like additional wristbands, please place your name and the number of additional wristbands (up to 2) needed on the waitlist at the Provost’s Office table at Senior Salute.

In the event of rain, extra guests may view Commencement by video in Rosenberger Auditorium in Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

How can I ensure that my name is pronounced correctly when announced during the ceremony?

We encourage you to include a phonetic pronunciation of your name when attending Senior Salute or share the proper pronunciation of your name with the provost’s office by emailing a recording to commencement@juniata.edu.

Can I watch the ceremony online?

Commencement will be streamed live and can be viewed by visiting the commencement website. After the event is over, the full-length video will be available for viewing on-demand on the website and Juniata’s official YouTube channel: youtube.com/juniatacollege

How do I get photographs of the occasion?

A professional photo of your graduate will be taken during the ceremony. The photos will be available online by JD Cavrich Photography. The website to order photos is J.D. Cavrich Photography. There will also be opportunities for family photos with a Juniata banner as the backdrop after the ceremony.

How can I locate a list of local overnight accommodations and restaurants?

Many local restaurants and overnight accommodations are available in and around Huntingdon. If making a reservation for lunch following the ceremony, we recommend making your reservation for 1:30 PM and after.

Where should campus visitors park?

All visitors to campus for the Commencement activities are asked to park in College parking areas, or to carefully monitor and follow posted signs and guidance if parking on Borough streets adjacent to campus. College lots closest to include the South Hall parking area (immediately adjacent) as well as those parking areas adjacent to Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center just north of Ellis Hall. All College parking areas are noted on the campus map.

Is there handicapped accessible parking and seating available for guests?

Dale and Enrollment parking lots are reserved for vehicles with a state handicap placard. There will also be a drop-off location for those with accessibility needs who do not have a state placard. If you have accessibility needs relating to seating or parking, please make arrangements at Senior Salute. Admission to reserved seating for those with a disability is by special wristband only.

Will there be an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for the ceremony?

Yes, there will be an American Sign Language interpreter on stage for Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies.

What is Baccalaureate and where will it take place?

Baccalaureate will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025, beginning at 5:30 PM in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are not required. Our food service will provide a variety of heavy hors d’oeuvres for students, families, staff, and faculty following Baccalaureate. This will provide an opportunity for our faculty and administration to celebrate with graduating seniors and their families. The event will take place on Scott Street between Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center and Lesher Hall. The reception will take place in Baker Refectory in the event of rain.

One of the longest standing rich traditions at Juniata College, the Baccalaureate Service, occurs prior to Commencement. Whereas Commencement celebrates the accomplishments of graduates in having gained knowledge and wisdom within an academic discipline and completed requirements for a degree, Baccalaureate celebrates the ways in which graduates have grown and been shaped by their experiences at Juniata as a foundation for building lives of meaning and purpose.

The Baccalaureate Service is an interfaith service with readings, poetry, and personal sharing all by members of the graduating class representing a variety of faith traditions and mixed with musical selections by the Juniata Concert Choir. The service is an intimate opportunity to pause, reflect and recognize the many ways in which families, friends, faculty, and administration have profoundly influenced and shaped the lives of the students over the years.  

We invite all family and guests to celebrate this distinct tradition with our graduates as they create one additional consequential memory. 

Will a Senior Class Photo be taken?

The Senior Class photo will be taken May 7, 2025, immediately following Spring Awards Convocation. The photo will be available for purchase.

What is the order of Academic Processions?

The order of procession and time/location for line-up for candidates for degrees is as follows:

Baccalaureate
Separated in groups: Master's, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science, but not alphabetically.
Line up at 5:00 PM at the traffic circle between South Hall and Lesher Hall.

Commencement
The Master's candidates will process first, followed by the Bachelor of Arts candidates, and then the Bachelor of Science candidates, with each group in alphabetical order
Line up at 9:15 AM at the traffic circle between South Hall and Lesher Hall.

On signal from the Faculty Marshal, the procession moves in an orderly manner to the seats, with a space of approximately four feet between pairs.

What is the process of Conferring of Degrees?

Candidates for each degree rise as a group when directed by the President, who orally confers the degrees. Graduates are then reseated and directed by rows to the stage to receive their diploma covers from the President as each name is called. Master's graduates will drape their hood over their left arm as they proceed to the stage.

Once on stage, graduates stop when the President's position is reached, shake hands with the President with the right hand, and take the diploma cover with the left hand. Graduates cross the stage behind the podium. Master's graduates will then have their master's hoods placed over their shoulders while on stage. Graduates then leave the stage, pause before the photo backdrop to have their official graduation photo taken, return to their seats, and be seated. When all have received diplomas and have returned to their places, a signal will be given for graduates to rise again for shifting the tassels. Graduates are then reseated.

All graduates will receive a diploma cover at the ceremony. The actual diploma will be mailed to the graduate approximately four weeks after the ceremony once completion of all degree requirements has been verified by the Registrar's Office.

Academic honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude) will be announced during the Commencement exercises. Latin honors announced at Commencement and printed in the Commencement program are preliminary and based on the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the time of publication. Official Latin honors recognition will be determined using the student’s final cumulative GPA and printed on the diploma and transcript.

NOTE:  Please contact the Registrar’s Office in the event of any discrepancy on your diploma.