PULLMAN, Wash. New custom doctoral gowns and new honor cords will add style and consistency to Washington State University’s fall commencement ceremony, set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in Beasley Coliseum. About 3,000 students, family and friends are expected; tickets are not required to attend this free, public event.
President Elson S. Floyd will speak briefly and confer degrees. Kim Kidwell, associate dean for academic programs in the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, will give a short address.
Parking near event limited
Shuttle service will be available every 12-15 minutes starting at 9 a.m. and concluding at 1 p.m.
“We would like to encourage this service because of limited parking in the lots closest to the coliseum,” said commencement coordinator Teri Hansen.
Those wanting to ride the shuttle should park in the Yellow 4 lot adjacent to the Lewis Alumni Centre. The drop-off point will be the front of the coliseum on North Fairway Drive. After the ceremony, shuttle service will operate from the front of the coliseum to the alumni center. Find a map at http://www.parking.wsu.edu/utils/File.aspx?fileid=4191.
Disability parking will be available around the coliseum. Find a disability parking map at http://www.parking.wsu.edu/utils/File.aspx?fileid=4192.
For more information about the shuttle service, general parking or special needs parking, call the WSU Visitor Center at 509-335-INFO (4636).
Live viewing available; participation deadlines looming
Those who can’t attend commencement in person may watch it live on Cable 8 on the Pullman/Albion, Wash., cable TV system or on videostream at http://www.experience.wsu.edu. The videostream will be archived for viewing after the event from the same link.
The deadline for faculty to register to participate is Friday, Nov. 30. Links to sign up can be found here.
New honor cords for 3.5 GPA and above
New this year, students graduating with a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) and above will wear a crimson and silver braided honor cord. This replaces past practices of different colors for different GPAs, different colleges and even different units within colleges. Also, some colleges purchased the cords and some required students to buy their own.
“The committee – made up of representatives from all colleges and regional campuses – decided that a unified look would be best,” Hansen said. “Colleges and campuses are purchasing the cords for their students instead of having students purchase their own.”
In addition to a more uniform look and a simplified understanding of what the honor cord signifies, having one style will cost less “we got a great price for ordering more” and, if one college falls short, it can get cords from another, Hansen said.
Students who belong to honor societies have had the option of buying cords for those entities separately, and that will continue.Ph.D. custom gowns
A new custom gown for those achieving their Ph.D. degrees will debut with this commencement. A rental gown came out in the spring. The custom gown is of the same crimson color with gray velvet accents, but of a higher quality, said Hansen.
“This is the gown that faculty members at other universities would purchase if they are participating in their university ceremonies but graduated with a Ph.D. from WSU,” she said.
The rental has a standard hood while the custom gown has a split hood attached with silver WSU shield medallion buttons, which also accent the gown’s back and cuffs. A tam, rather than the mortarboard hat, is available for Ph.D. grads.
“The custom gown is something I have been working on for more than five years and the committee for 2½ years,” Hansen said. “I got the idea from my involvement in the North American Association of Commencement Officers, where I met several companies that create custom apparel, and from seeing the various gowns our WSU faculty members wear during our convocation and commencement ceremonies.”
The gown committee consisted of faculty, staff, students and former students. Members were: Paul Menke and Bernadette Buchanan (both received their Ph.D.s from WSU two years ago and wanted to help create a custom gown); Linda Bradley, faculty member in apparel, merchandising, design and textiles (she created the president’s diversity stole when he first came to WSU); Graduate and Professional Student Association president Erika Christensen and past president Jason McConnell; and Graduate School Associate Dean Pat Sturko, former Associate Dean Lori Wiest and staff member Jenny Saligumba-Graham.