Please note the following:

Report for rehearsal at 10 a.m., Friday, May 12th, on the Quad. In the event of rain, rehearsal will take place in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center.
 
Participation in the Baccalaureate service at 5:30 p.m., Friday, May 12th, is strongly encouraged.
 
Participation in Commencement at 10 a.m., on Saturday, May 13th, is required. Requests to be excused from Commencement need to be submitted to me at commencement@juniata.edu no later than April 15th and should only be made under extraordinary circumstances.
 
See the Schedule of Events Here.

 

BACCALAUREATE

One of the longest standing rich traditions at Juniata College, the Baccalaureate Service, occurs on the Friday evening, May 12th, prior to Commencement and features the procession of the degree candidates and the faculty of the College in academic regalia. 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 understood and affirmed their personal beliefs as a foundation for building lives of meaning and purpose.

The Baccalaureate Service is an interfaith service with readings, poetry, and personal sharing by members of the graduating class representing a diversity of faith traditions and worldviews, accompanied by 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 members and guests to celebrate this distinct tradition with our graduates.

FRIDAY, MAY 12TH RECEPTION

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 meet with graduating seniors and their families. The event will take place on Scott Street; between Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center and Lesher Hall. The reception will take place in Baker Refectory in the event of rain.

SENIOR SALUTE

Seniors are expected to participate in Senior Salute on Thursday, March 30th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Sill Boardroom located in von Liebig Center for Science. 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 should take approximately 20 and gives you the opportunity to check in with all relevant offices in anticipation of your graduation day.

ACADEMIC REGALIA

Commencement participants must have appropriate academic regalia, to be picked up at Senior Salute on Thursday, March 30th. Candidates will wear a black gown and a black cap with appropriate tassel: white for B.A, golden yellow for B.S., and black for Masters. Master’s students will receive their Master’s hood at graduation.

The academic cap should be adjusted to remain level; the tassel should hang from the right side of the cap. The tassel will be shifted to the left at graduation ceremonies.

TICKETS

In good weather, unlimited seating is available on the quad in front of Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts, and tickets will not be necessary. However, to ensure adequate indoor seating for all families in case of rain, graduates will be limited to four tickets for Commencement. Pick up your tickets at Senior Salute with your cap and gown. If ceremonies are held in the Sports+Recreation Center because of rain, these tickets are required for entrance to the main gymnasium. The doors to the gymnasium will open at 8 a.m. If you do not require all four tickets, please bring extra tickets to the Provost's Office, 329 Founders Hall so they can be provided to a graduate who needs additional tickets. If you would like additional tickets, please place your name and the number of additional tickets you would need on the Ticket Wait List at the Provost’s Office table at Senior Salute.

In the event of rain, extra guests may view Commencement by video in Rosenberger Auditorium.

COMMENCEMENT VIDEO

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

HOUSING

Because of the large number of guests coming to Huntingdon between May 11-14, we encourage you to make overnight accommodation arrangements as soon as possible. Go to https://www.juniata.edu/about/visit/accommodations.php for help in finding accommodations in Huntingdon and surrounding areas.

MEALS

ALL graduating Seniors (whether they have been on the meal plan or not) will be able to receive their meals by showing their College Gold Card beginning with lunch on Wednesday, May 10. All seniors must have their official I.D. cards to do this. Students who have lost I.D. cards should make arrangements with Public Safety, 2-4 p.m. or 7-8 p.m., 7 days a week.

BREAKFAST BUFFET

There will be a special Saturday Breakfast Buffet held the morning of Commencement. The meal for the graduating senior is covered. There is no charge for children under age 6. Guest tickets for the Saturday Breakfast Buffet will be available by submitting the attached Meals and Accessibility Form to the Office of Campus and Residential Life at 1700 Moore Street, Huntingdon, Pa. 16652 via USPS mail.

Prices of the buffet are:

Saturday Buffet Breakfast 
(Baker Refectory)

7 – 9 a.m.

$10.00 per person

(Regardless of age)

PARKING

All visitors to campus for the Commencement activities are asked to park in South Hall parking area (adjacent to the football field). Dale Hall (Brumbaugh Academic Center) and the Swigart Enrollment Center parking lots.

ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATION

Reserved seating and parking accommodations for individuals with disabilities attending Commencement are available. Interpretation in American Sign Language will also be provided. Due to limited capacity, Reserved tickets for those requiring accommodated seating are available only for the individual and one other guest. 

You must have a regular Commencement ticket and a Reserved ticket to gain access to the Reserved Seating area. Reserved tickets can be requested at Senior Salute or on the included Meals and Accessibility Form.

There will be a reserved parking lot for vehicles with a state placard. There will also be a drop-off location for those with accessibility needs who do not have a state placard.

Please be certain to finalize all necessary arrangements in advance for those requiring accommodations.

INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION PHOTOS

Individual photos of each graduate will be taken by professional photographer J.D. Cavrich as each student exits the porch or platform, with the Juniata banner as a backdrop. After Commencement, parents can go to J.D. Cavrich’s website, www.jdcavrich.com, click on the “Order Online” button, and browse the photos to order individual prints.

There will be locations set-up on the Quad, with a Juniata Banner as a backdrop, for families to take photos with the graduates.

SENIOR CLASS PHOTO

The Senior Class photo will be taken May 2, immediately following Spring Awards Convocation. Additional information about Spring Awards will be forthcoming in a separate memo but note that all seniors are expected to attend and wear caps and gowns.  The photo is available for pre-purchase through Provine Studios, Altoona, Pa. Please mail the included order form and your payment directly to Provine Studios in the envelope provided. Information on anticipated mailing date as well as additional order forms and envelopes will be available at the Senior Class Photo table at Senior Salute.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Information about the Commencement speaker will soon be available.

ACADEMIC PROCESSIONS

The order of procession, time and location for candidates for degrees (including August candidates) is as follows:

Baccalaureate
Separated in groups, Masters, B.A., and B.S., but not alphabetically
5 p.m.
Traffic Circle between South Hall and Lesher Hall

Commencement
The Masters group will process first, followed by the
B.A. group and then the B.S.
group, each group in alphabetical order
9:15 a.m.
Traffic Circle between South Hall and Lesher Hall

On signal from the Faculty Marshal, the procession moves in an orderly manner to the seats on the quad for both Commencement and Baccalaureate, with a space of approximately four feet between couples. In the event of rain, Commencement and Baccalaureate will be moved to the Memorial Gymnasium in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center.

CONFERRING OF DEGREES

Candidates for the Masters degree rise as a group when directed by the President, who orally confers the degrees. You are then reseated and directed by rows to the porch or platform to receive your diplomas from the President as I call each name. You should stop when the President's position is reached, shake with the right hand and take the diploma with the left hand. Then leave the porch or platform, return to your seat, and be seated. When all have received diplomas and have returned to their places, I will signal you to rise again for shifting the tassels. You are then reseated.

The same procedure will be used for those receiving the B.A. and B.S. degrees. August candidates will process in place with all other candidates.

All graduates will receive a diploma cover only, and your diploma will be mailed to your home address.

Academic honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude) will be announced during the Commencement exercises.

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

RECESSIONALS

Recessionals will be held for Baccalaureate and Commencement. Each will follow the pattern of trustees, faculty, and students, in that order. Please stay in line until crossing the pedestrian walkway if Commencement is outside. If Commencement is inside, please keep moving to the Intramural Gymnasium so that the Gymnasium can be emptied.