Student Guide to LECOM Commencement
(Bradenton, Fla.)
Graduate Studies, College of Medicine, School of Pharmacy
Class of 2014
The Commencement Ceremony for the LECOM College of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, and Graduate Studies will be held on Sunday, June 8, 2014, promptly at 1:00 p.m., at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto, Fla. The following information is provided regarding the Commencement Ceremony.
Arrival Time and Parking
Graduates should arrive by Noon (12:00 p.m.). Parking is available at no charge at the Convention Center. The main entrance doors of the Arena will open to guests at Noon (12:00 p.m.) Seating is general admission by ticket for all guests. There is ample handicapped seating in the Center. Please ask an usher for assistance. Please arrive early enough to have your family members seated before the ceremony begins.
Dressing Areas
Upon arrival, graduates should enter at the front of the Convention Center and follow signs to the Student Robing area, which is in the Longboat Key Room. Staff will also be available to direct students to the proper area.
Guest Hooders
Graduates should instruct their guest hooder arrive by noon and to use the main entrance and where staff will direct them to the arena floor (by the stage) to receive direction for the ceremony. The guest hooders will be assigned a seat in the section behind the faculty.
During the ceremony, guest hooders will be instructed to line-up along the left wall of the arena and wait until the name of the graduate is called. They will proceed to the second set of steps on the left side of the stage and walk along the side to the hooding platform. One of the academic deans will hand the guest hooder an academic hood. The guest hooder will place the hood over the head and onto the shoulders of the graduate. (The guest hooder does not step onto the hooding platform.) The graduate and the guest hooder will immediately leave the stage, step to the photograph area and have their photograph taken together. They will return to their seats in their designated sections. Guest hooders will remain in their seats until the entire academic procession has left the arena. The College reserves the right to limit the participation of guest hooders in the Commencement Ceremony.
Academic Procession Line-up
All graduates will line-up in the hallway of the Longboat Key room in alphabetical order according to the academic procession before processing into the arena. Staff members will be available to assist students with the line-up for the procession. Assistant Marshals will lead the students to the procession starting point with the Master candidates first, followed by Pharmacy graduates and College of Medicine.
The Faculty Procession and the Trustee Procession will line-up at 12:30 p.m. in the hallway outside of the robing rooms. Dr. Anthony Ferretti, Chief Marshal, will lead the academic procession. He will be followed by the banner carriers, master’s graduate, School of Pharmacy graduates and College of Medicine graduates. Dr. Laura Stevenson, Associate Marshal, will lead the faculty procession and members of the faculty will line-up behind the Associate Marshal. Staff will be available to assist with the line-up.
Commencement Seating
The Masters graduate will be seated in the left side seating section in front of the faculty. Medical graduates will be seated on the right side, while Pharmacy graduates will be seated on the left side seating section. Seating charts will be available for the Commencement rehearsal as well as the day of the ceremony. Staff will assist the graduates with the processional line-up. Guest hooders will be seated behind the faculty on the left side. Guest hooders will be seated prior to the start of the academic procession.