It’s time to celebrate!

If you have decided not to attend the ceremony at 10am, please email solutions@ucwv.edu.

Grad Salute

Grad Salute will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025, between 11a.m. and 6p.m. on the Charleston campus.  All in-seat Charleston students are required to attend this event.  This process should not take you more than 30 minutes, please come anytime between 11a.m. and 6p.m.   Beckley and Online students are not required to attend but are highly encouraged to reach out to the offices below for information about items they need to complete for graduation.

• Advancement/Alumni – christinacarr@ucwv.edu
• Career Development – jessicawagner@ucwv.edu
• Student Accounts Manager – billpayment@ucwv.edu
• Financial Aid – ucfinancialaid@ucwv.edu

Checking In for the Ceremony

Graduating students must check in at the Auditorium on the 2^nd floor of Riggleman Hall.  Students will then be lined up and seated by volunteers prior to processing from Riggleman Hall to the Arena for the ceremony.

All students must be checked in and seated in the Auditorium by 9:30 a.m.

If you are not seated by this time, you will be removed from the attending list!

NO EXCEPTIONS!

Wristbands are required for guest entry.  Doors will open at the Arena for guests at 9a.m.

Each graduating student will receive five (5) wristbands for their guests to use for entry into the arena. Wristbands will be handed out or mailed to students during Grad Salute.  If you would like to be placed on the waitlist for extra wristbands, please email virginiamoore@ucwv.edu.

Children will not be permitted to sit on laps or stairs.  All children must occupy a seat in the arena. All guests must go through the front entrance of the Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Center.

For our guests that wish to use our ADA accessible entrance, it is located to the left of the main entrance.

ADA Access and Seating

Signage will be posted to lead guests to this entrance. A person that would like accessibility support will have seating available in the upper portion of the arena at the main doors. This section will be marked for easy access.

If your guests need help with seating, please advise them to speak with one of our volunteers working at the event.

Regalia

Every student must be wearing their regalia (cap and gown) when they check in.  The Regalia gown must be zipped prior to the ceremony beginning.

Students may decorate their graduation caps. Please keep decorations tasteful, neat, and family-friendly.

How to order your regalia:

The deadline to order your cap and gown is Thursday, March 20!

If you have already ordered a cap and gown from Jostens for this event, please do not order another set and let me know when you receive your cap and gown.

1. To order your cap and gown click:  https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1118083/University-of-Charleston/

2. You will want to set up your own account through Jostens using the Sign In link at the top of the page.

3. After you have created your account, click on My School Store at the top of the page.

4. Back on the main page, click the Graduation Products button.

Then click Graduation Caps & Gowns:

5. Choose your student level in the Select your Collection box that populates.

6. If you are graduating with:
   • An Associate or Bachelor degree, select Student Undergrad 2025
   • A Master degree, select Student Masters 2025
   • A Doctor of Executive Leadership degree, select student D.E.L. 2025
   • A Doctor of Pharmacy will order Doctor of Pharmacy

7. On the next page, click on the cap and gown picture.

8. Enter your height and weight.
9. For Master gown orders, be sure to complete the Major/Curriculum section, too.

10. Click Add to Cart.

11. Enter your first and last name.

12. Click Checkout.

13. Enter your Contact Information and Shipping Information.

14. Please Note! The address you enter here will be the address your cap and gown will be mailed to when your order is fulfilled.  If you are living on campus and wish to have your cap and gown mailed to the main UC campus, please enter your dormitory address on this page.

15. Click Continue at the bottom of the screen.

16. Review your order for accuracy.

17. Click Submit Order on the next screen.

18. After clicking Submit Order, your Order Details Screen will appear, and you will receive an email confirmation for your order to the email you entered at the very beginning.  Keep this email for your records.  If there is an issue with your order, Jostens will be the contact and they will need your Order Number for reference.

Please contact solutions@ucwv.edu if you have any questions about your order.

The Day of the Ceremony

Doors at the Arena in the Wehrle Innovation Center will open at 9:00am for guests. Plenty of on-campus parking will be available for our graduates and their guests.  Guests must have an event wristband to attend.

Graduating students will check in between 9a.m. and 9:30a.m. at the Auditorium on the 2^nd floor of Riggleman Hall.  Anyone who is not checked in by 9:30a.m. will not be able to participate.

Personal Belongings

Please be sure to leave your personal belongings in a safe place.  Please leave them with your guest(s), family member, or someone you trust.  We cannot house personal items at the ceremony.

Notecards

A notecard will be placed in your seat with a commencement program at the ceremony.

You must hold on to this note card during the ceremony!  You will take it on stage with you for your name to be read.

You will give this card to the provost when you step on stage so they can read your name. Some cards will have your name written phonetically for the provost to say it correctly from the pronunciation provided to him by either you, your advisor, program director, and/or dean. If you want to send in a phonetic spelling of your name for your note card, please send it to virginiamoore@ucwv.edu.

Conferring of the Degrees

When the provost announces that they will begin the conferring of degrees, please pay attention, and stand at the appropriate time.

• Students graduating with an Associate in Arts or Associate of Science degree are students who are graduating from a two-year program.

• Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree are students who are graduating from a four-year program.

• If you are unsure about your degree and/or program, please contact solutions@ucwv.edu.

Walking Across the Stage

Make sure you bring your note card with you when the Presentation of the Graduates begins, and you start to process to the stage with the Grand Marshal.

You will walk up the stairs where the stage coordinator is standing, stand on the third step and hand the provost your notecard.

When the provost calls your name, you will then walk across the stage, receive congratulations and your diploma cover from the President.

You will then exit the stage and return to your seat.

Exiting the Arena After Graduation

All students must recess from the arena when the designated Marshal approaches your row. You will exit from the Innovation Center doors leading to the Clay Tower Building or through the back of the gym. Do this quickly after your Marshal has excused your row.

Do not stop for photos, to find your guests, or for any other reason except for an emergency.  All foot traffic must exit the arena ASAP!

Commencement Reception

A reception for the graduating class will be held in the Rotunda of Riggleman Hall (2^nd floor) immediately after the commencement ceremony.

Photographs

Professional photographers will be at the Rotunda prior to the ceremony beginning to take your photo after you check-in and at the ceremony to take each student’s photos. When the student’s name is called, they will approach the stage and walk across it to a marked space for a photo with the University President. These photos will be available for purchase in the coming weeks on https://www.legacyphoto.com/index.html.

Navigating the Main Campus, Parking, and the Charleston Area

Campus, parking maps, directions for moving about campus, and information about the Charleston area are available on our website using this link: https://www.ucwv.edu/campus-visits/.

Virtual Livestream

We will provide a livestream of the ceremony as well as a virtual recognition video of all UC graduates. The livestream will be available on the UC Facebook page, UC YouTube page, or by visiting the UC website on the day of the event.  The virtual recognition video will be available indefinitely on the UC YouTube page after the event.

Where can I purchase UC gear?

The University Bookstore will be open on Friday afternoon for special hours of operation and on Saturday after your ceremony.  We also offer an online store! Please use this link http://www.ucwv.edu/uc-life/bookstore/.

Who can I contact for additional information?

For any additional questions or inquiries, please send an email to virginiamoore@ucwv.edu.

We are very excited to be celebrating this special day with you and your guests!

If you have decided not to attend the ceremony at 1pm, please email solutions@ucwv.edu.

Grad Salute

Grad Salute will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025, between 11a.m. and 6p.m. on the Charleston campus.  All in-seat Charleston students are required to attend this event.  This process should not take you more than 30 minutes, please come anytime between 11a.m. and 6p.m.   Beckley and Online students are not required to attend but are highly encouraged to reach out to the offices below for information about items they need to complete for graduation.

• Advancement/Alumni – christinacarr@ucwv.edu
• Career Development – jessicawagner@ucwv.edu
• Student Accounts Manager – billpayment@ucwv.edu
• Financial Aid – ucfinancialaid@ucwv.edu

Checking In for the Ceremony

Graduating students must check in at the Auditorium on the 2^nd floor of Riggleman Hall.  Students will then be lined up and seated by volunteers prior to processing from Riggleman Hall to the Arena for the ceremony.

All students must be checked in and seated in the Auditorium by 12:30 p.m.

If you are not seated by this time, you will be removed from the attending list!

NO EXCEPTIONS!

Doors will open at the Arena for guests at 12p.m.

Wristbands will not be required for guest entry to the 1pm ceremony.

Children will not be permitted to sit on laps or stairs.  All children must occupy a seat in the arena. All guests must go through the front entrance of the Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Center.

For our guests that wish to use our ADA accessible entrance, it is located to the left of the main entrance.

ADA Access and Seating

Signage will be posted to lead guests to this entrance. A person that would like accessibility support will have seating available in the upper portion of the arena at the main doors. This section will be marked for easy access.

If your guests need help with seating, please advise them to speak with one of our volunteers working at the event.

Regalia

Every student must be wearing their regalia (cap and gown) when they check in.  The Regalia gown must be zipped prior to the ceremony beginning.

Students may decorate their graduation caps. Please keep decorations tasteful, neat, and family-friendly.

How to order your regalia:

The deadline to order your cap and gown is Thursday, March 20!

If you have already ordered a cap and gown from Jostens for this event, please do not order another set and let me know when you receive your cap and gown.

1. To order your cap and gown click:  https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1118083/University-of-Charleston/

2. You will want to set up your own account through Jostens using the Sign In link at the top of the page.

3. After you have created your account, click on My School Store at the top of the page.

4. Back on the main page, click the Graduation Products button.

Then click Graduation Caps & Gowns:

5. Choose your student level in the Select your Collection box that populates.

6. If you are graduating with:
   • An Associate or Bachelor degree, select Student Undergrad 2025
   • A Master degree, select Student Masters 2025
   • A Doctor of Executive Leadership degree, select student D.E.L. 2025
   • A Doctor of Pharmacy will order Doctor of Pharmacy

7. On the next page, click on the cap and gown picture.

8. Enter your height and weight.
9. For Master gown orders, be sure to complete the Major/Curriculum section, too.

10. Click Add to Cart.

11. Enter your first and last name.

12. Click Checkout.

13. Enter your Contact Information and Shipping Information.

14. Please Note! The address you enter here will be the address your cap and gown will be mailed to when your order is fulfilled.  If you are living on campus and wish to have your cap and gown mailed to the main UC campus, please enter your dormitory address on this page.

15. Click Continue at the bottom of the screen.

16. Review your order for accuracy.

17. Click Submit Order on the next screen.

18. After clicking Submit Order, your Order Details Screen will appear, and you will receive an email confirmation for your order to the email you entered at the very beginning.  Keep this email for your records.  If there is an issue with your order, Jostens will be the contact and they will need your Order Number for reference.

Please contact solutions@ucwv.edu if you have any questions about your order.

The Day of the Ceremony

Doors at the Arena in the Wehrle Innovation Center will open at 12:00pm for guests. Plenty of on-campus parking will be available for our graduates and their guests.  Guests do not need a wristband to attend.

Graduating students will check in between 12p.m. and 12:30p.m. at the Auditorium on the 2^nd floor of Riggleman Hall.  Anyone who is not checked in by 12:30p.m. will not be able to participate.

Personal Belongings

Please be sure to leave your personal belongings in a safe place.  Please leave them with your guest(s), family member, or someone you trust.  We cannot house personal items at the ceremony.

Notecards

A notecard will be placed in your seat with a commencement program at the ceremony.

You must hold on to this note card during the ceremony!  You will take it on stage with you for your name to be read.

You will give this card to the provost when you step on stage so they can read your name. Some cards will have your name written phonetically for the provost to say it correctly from the pronunciation provided to him by either you, your advisor, program director, and/or dean. If you want to send in a phonetic spelling of your name for your note card, please send it to virginiamoore@ucwv.edu.

Conferring of the Degrees

When the provost announces that they will begin the conferring of degrees, please pay attention, and stand at the appropriate time.

• If you are unsure about your degree and/or program, please contact solutions@ucwv.edu.

Walking Across the Stage

Make sure you bring your note card with you when the Presentation of the Graduates begins, and you start to process to the stage with the Grand Marshal.

You will walk up the stairs where the stage coordinator is standing, stand on the third step and hand the provost your notecard.

When the provost calls your name, you will then walk across the stage, receive congratulations and your diploma cover from the President.

You will then exit the stage and return to your seat.

Exiting the Arena After Graduation

All students must recess from the arena when the designated Marshal approaches your row. You will exit from the Innovation Center doors leading to the Clay Tower Building or through the back of the gym. Do this quickly after your Marshal has excused your row.

Do not stop for photos, to find your guests, or for any other reason except for an emergency.  All foot traffic must exit the arena ASAP!

Commencement Reception

A reception for the graduating class will be held in the Rotunda of Riggleman Hall (2^nd floor) immediately after the commencement ceremony.

Photographs

Professional photographers will be at the Rotunda prior to the ceremony beginning to take your photo after you check-in and at the ceremony to take each student’s photos. When the student’s name is called, they will approach the stage and walk across it to a marked space for a photo with the University President. These photos will be available for purchase in the coming weeks on https://www.legacyphoto.com/index.html.

Navigating the Main Campus, Parking, and the Charleston Area

Campus, parking maps, directions for moving about campus, and information about the Charleston area are available on our website using this link: https://www.ucwv.edu/campus-visits/.

Virtual Livestream

We will provide a livestream of the ceremony as well as a virtual recognition video of all UC graduates. The livestream will be available on the UC Facebook page, UC YouTube page, or by visiting the UC website on the day of the event.  The virtual recognition video will be available indefinitely on the UC YouTube page after the event.

Where can I purchase UC gear?

The University Bookstore will be open on Friday afternoon for special hours of operation and on Saturday after your ceremony.  We also offer an online store! Please use this link http://www.ucwv.edu/uc-life/bookstore/.

Who can I contact for additional information?

For any additional questions or inquiries, please send an email to virginiamoore@ucwv.edu.

We are very excited to be celebrating this special day with you and your guests!

Dear Graduate and family:

Bruce Heflin Photography will be taking pictures at your commencement and other graduation events. At the Commencement, each graduate is photographed receiving his or her diploma. A picture will also be taken of them individually holding their diploma.

Before and after the ceremony, photographers will be roaming around taking candid pictures of the graduates with their families and friends.

Here is how our new service works. Scan the QR code below or copy and paste the link to register for pictures. This works with any cell phone. It will give you instructions once you are on the app. Graduates can register anytime between now and graduation day. When asked to upload a picture, it is easiest to just take a selfie. (Selfie of the graduate) We recommend Not to use emails with EDU. They sometimes will not handle the large image files and usually send messages to Spam. We will also make the QR code available when they check in for the ceremony graduation day. You can list up to 14 cell phone numbers or emails. The images will be sent to all of them at the same time. This will happen in one of two ways. The images are sent as soon as they are taken. (Provided there are no problems with connections to the internet). The second way is they are sent out immediately after the ceremony.

We hope this new program will enhance our service to you and your families. NO one is in any obligation to purchase anything.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office. 614-478-5345 or brucelheflin@gmail.com

Thank you:

Bruce L. Heflin

University of Charleston April 26, 2025 Selfie Registration

http://regis.viewyour.photos/direct/67640/27279089