Commencement seating will begin approximately two hours prior to the start time in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. The doors will close at 9:50 a.m., in order to allow the program to officially begin without interruptions.
Guest Admittance and Seating at Commencement
Tickets are not required for the commencement ceremony. Doors will open two hours prior to the start of the commencement ceremony. Guests of our graduates should plan on arriving to the ceremonies approximately one to two hours prior to the ceremony’s scheduled start time. This will allow appropriate time for parking and walking to the venues. All seats are first come, first served. Seats may not be held for late coming family members and friends.
Graduate Seating
All graduating students will be seated at the ground level of the commencement venue. Family members and friends will not be allowed in the graduating student section. Degrees will be conferred to candidates based on degree type. Jackson State University utilizes Jumbotrom screens to aid its guests in viewing event highlights, including a view of the graduates as they cross the stage.
Special Needs Accommodations
Jackson State University has made provisions to reasonably accommodate students, faculty, staff and guests during all Commencement Ceremonies. Special needs volunteers will be able to assist and address special needs request on an as-needed basis. Medical staff will also be on standby during the Commencement Ceremony for emergency needs.
Designated seating sections are set aside at all venues for individuals with special needs based on a particular ADA accommodation. If you have any questions, please contact Arron Richardson of the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling and Disability Services, by telephone at (601) 979-3704 or by e-mail at arron.l.richardson@jsums.edu.
Ceremony Logistics
Once your graduate’s row of students proceeds to the stage, individual students’ names will be called as they cross the stage and shake the President’s and Dean’s hands.
Photography
Families and friends may take pictures during the commencement ceremony. However, participants and spectators must remain in their seats when photographing or videotaping any portion of the ceremony. For safety reasons, tripods are not allowed at the ceremony. They are not allowed at any designated photo areas.
Photographs of each graduate as he or she crosses the stage will be available from professional vendors who will contact all graduates with purchasing information. Family pictures with the graduate in full academic regalia may be taken after the ceremony.
Commencement Protocol and Decorum
We ask that you assist us in maintaining the decorum appropriate for commencement. This ritual signifies the hallmark of academic achievement, and the University proudly celebrates the occasion with formal pomp and circumstance. Let’s make this occasion special for all involved.
Please remember the following points of order:
- Guest seating is first-come, first-served. Seats may not be held for late-arriving family members and friends.
- Please be seated before the procession begins.
- Guests are not permitted in the graduates’ seating area.
- Guests will not be seated during the processional.
- Cell phones should be silenced throughout the entire ceremony.
- Dress appropriately for the occasion (and the season).
- Please remain for the entire ceremony as a sign of respect for all graduates.
- Commencement is a very special event for all involved. Please show respect for everyone who has come to share in the experience. All family members and friends of the graduating students should be able to hear the names being called of their graduates. Please show respect for all graduates and guests by minimizing your jubilant expressions as your graduate’s name is being called.
- Please refrain from walking about to take pictures of the graduates. A professional photographer will capture a picture of each graduate as he or she crosses the stage. Also, family members and friends may take pictures of the graduates after the ceremony.
- Individuals who engage in inappropriate or disruptive behavior will be removed from the event by Campus Police.
Commencement is very special for all involved. Please show respect for everyone who has come to share in the experience.