Commencement Information

Congratulations! The Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremonies will be held Saturday, April 29, 2023, in the Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Center Sports Arena.  The ceremonies will recognize our graduating students for the Spring 2023/Summer 2023 semesters.

For our Undergraduate Students:

If you have decided not to attend the ceremony at 10am, please respond to this email with your intention not to attend or email solutions@ucwv.edu.

Wristbands for Guests

The University understands that this is a special day for each of you, but due to the seating capacity in the Wehrle Arena there is a limit of five (5) wristbands per graduating student who has marked on their graduation application that they are participating in the ceremony.

The University is allowing graduating students who are participating in the ceremony to be added to a wristband waiting list by emailing virginiamoore@ucwv.edu. Deadline for requesting additional wristbands is Sunday, April 16 at 12:00 pm.

How do I Get My Wristbands?

We will be hosting a Grad Salute Event on Friday April 21, 2023, in the Rotunda of Riggleman Hall on the main campus from 2:00pm – 6:00pm.

Students will be able to pick up their wristbands at this time and it is mandatory for all students living on campus that are graduating to attend this event.

If you would like to pick up your wristbands at our Beckley location, please contact robertelmore@ucwv.edu and arrangements will be made for you to do so on Friday, April 21, 2023.

If you would like to have your wristbands mailed to you, please email robertelmore@ucwv.edu and provide the address you would like to have them shipped to by Monday, April 17, 2023.  Wristbands will be mailed on Wednesday, April 18, 2023, and a tracking number will be provided to you once your shipment has been processed.

Wristbands will not be mailed before Wednesday, April 18.

Wristbands will not be available for pick up in person till Friday, April 21.

Wristbands are required for guest entry.

If you do not need all five (5) of your wristbands, we ask that you return those that you will not need, and we will distribute those to the students on the waitlist.

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

The last day to order your cap and gown (regalia) was Thursday, March 23, 2023. If you did not place your order by then, you have been removed from the commencement ceremony attendance list.

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

The Day of the Ceremony

Doors will open at 9:00am for guests. Plenty of on-campus parking will be available for our graduates and their guests.

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.

Checking In for the Ceremony

Graduates must check in at the Gorman Hall hallway (pool hallway/locker hallway) and enter on the river side/back lawn of campus near the Morrison Fitness Center or through the first-floor entrance under the front Innovation Center stairs if it is raining. Signage will be posted to lead you to the check-in area. All graduates will be assigned a seat upon check-in.

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

If you are not seated by this time, you will be removed from the attending list! NO EXCEPTIONS!

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 give this card to the provost when you step on stage so they can call your name. Some cards will have your name written phonetically for the provost to say it correctly from the pronunciation provided to him by 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 robertelmore@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 notecard with you when the Presentation of the Graduates begins, and you start to process to the stage with the Grand Marshal.

You will walk across 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 the University Marshal will guide you to the photographer for your graduation photo.

You will then be ushered back to the arena, walk through the row between the graduate seating and faculty seating and back to your seat.

Do not walk through the chairs or in any other direction back to your seat.

Exiting the Arena After Graduation

All students must leave 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 in Riggleman Hall immediately after the commencement ceremony.

Photographs

Professional photographers will be 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 President Roth. Students will then exit the stage, take their diploma cover, and walk into the hallway to complete a second photo by themselves. 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 for Spring 2023 and Summer 2023. 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?

We offer an online store! Please use this link http://www.ucwv.edu/uc-life/bookstore/.  Our campus bookstore location will also be open to the public from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Who can I contact for additional information?

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

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

Congratulations! The Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremonies will be held Saturday, April 29, 2023, in the Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Center Sports Arena. The ceremonies will recognize our undergraduate and graduate students graduating during the Spring 2023/Summer 2023 semesters.

For our Graduate Students:

Guests and Children Seating

Wristbands are NOT required for guest entry.

Each graduate can invite as many guests as they like. Children will not be permitted to sit on laps or stairs.  All children must occupy a seat in the arena. All guests must enter 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.

If you have decided not to attend the ceremony at 1pm, please respond to this email with your intention not to attend or email solutions@ucwv.edu.

The Day of the Ceremony

Doors will open at 12:00pm for guests. Plenty of on-campus parking will be available for our graduates and their guests.

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.

Checking In for the Ceremony

Graduates must check in at the Gorman Hall hallway (pool hallway/locker hallway) and enter on the river side/back lawn of campus near the Morrison Fitness Center or through the first-floor entrance under the front Innovation Center stairs if it is raining. Signage will be posted to lead you to the check-in area. All graduates will be assigned a seat upon check-in.

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

If you are not seated by this time, you will be removed from the attending list! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Regalia

The last day to order your cap and gown (regalia) was Thursday, March 23, 2023. If you did not place your order by then, you have been removed from the commencement ceremony attendance list.

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

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 give this card to the provost when you step on stage so they can call your name. Some cards will have your name written phonetically for the provost to say it correctly from the pronunciation provided to him by 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 robertelmore@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 your degree and major of study are called.

 Walking Across the Stage

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

You will walk across 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 the University Marshal will guide you to the photographer for your graduation photo.

You will then be ushered back to the arena, walk through the row between the graduate seating and faculty seating and back to your seat.

Do not walk through the chairs or in any other direction back to your seat.

Exiting the Arena After Graduation

All students must leave 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 in Riggleman Hall immediately after the commencement ceremony.

Photographs

Professional photographers will be 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 President Roth. Students will then exit the stage, take their diploma cover, and walk into the hallway to complete a second photo by themselves. 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 for Spring 2023 and Summer 2023. 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.

When will I get my diploma?

Commencement takes place prior to posting of final grades. Diplomas are not distributed at the ceremony.

Diplomas are ordered from our commencement partner, Jostens, and then delivered to the University for distribution by snail mail.  We do not offer electronic or “business card” diplomas.

Diplomas are shipped within 8-10 business weeks from the University’s published Spring 2023 and the Summer 2023 conferral date. This date can be found on the University’s Academic Calendar for Spring 2023 and Summer 2023., excluding weekends and University closure for holiday.

Please provide an updated mailing address to solutions@ucwv.edu.  Please put “Spring 2023/Summer 2023 Diploma Shipment Address” in the subject on the email.

Where can I purchase UC gear?

We offer an online store! Please use this link http://www.ucwv.edu/uc-life/bookstore/. Our campus bookstore location will also be open to the public from 8:00am – 1:00pm.

Who can I contact for additional information?

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

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