Information for Commencement Coordinators

Information for Commencement Coordinators

Icon of a undergraduate student in commencement apparel.

Thank you for joining us for the commencement coordinators meeting last week. A recording of the meeting for anyone who was unable to attend may be found below.

We do not have any additional coordinator meetings set up before ceremonies this fall. However, please let us know if you have any questions or need anything further at any time by emailing ui-commencement@uiowa.edu.

Please save the date for our Fall 2023 Commencement Coordinators Debrief Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. You should have already received an invite to this meeting, but please let us know if you did not or if there are other individuals we should invite.

Reminders

Fall 2023 Late RSVPs

If students email after the RSVP extension and want to attend your ceremony, please mark them as attending in MAUI.

  • Name pronunciation and photographer information will be filled out by these students at the ceremony.
  • The commencement team will forward any late RSVP requests we receive to the appropriate coordinator.
  • Adding the students in MAUI, even though they are late, ensures they receive important ceremony information in the days leading up to commencement, and help us better track attendance. 

Name Cards

Name cards will be delivered to the colleges on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

  • If students applied for degree by Nov. 20, you will have their name card. If they did not, they will fill out a card at the ceremony.
  • Cards will be sorted by the order you provided to us with attending in one grouping and degree applicants in another.

Order of Events

Please submit your order of events to Nick Tomlonovic at nicholas-tomlonovic@uiowa.edu. In addition, please send them to UI-commencement@uiowa.edu. We will upload them to the website for anyone who may be viewing your ceremony virtually.

Review Cap Decorating Guidelines

The commencement website currently has information about cap decorating guidelines, with some policies varying by college. Please review the information under Cap Decorating and let us know if there are updates to be made by Monday, Dec. 11.

Regalia Updates

Upcoming Regalia Messages to Students

The Iowa Hawk Shop and Herff Jones will send out an email this week to students who chose to have their regalia shipped to the store for pickup which will include details about picking up their regalia.

In addition, they will send a separate email to students who chose to have regalia shipped to their homes. This message will encourage students to open their box and check their order.

Late Regalia Purchases

Undergraduate Graduates

Online ordering deadlines have passed. Regalia will be available for purchase at the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore from Dec. 4–14, but sizes and tassel colors are not guaranteed to be available. A $20 late fee applies. 

Graduate College Graduates

Late regalia orders may be placed using the late link on the Herff Jones online ordering portal and the regalia will be shipped to the student if ordered by Dec. 6. After Dec. 6, students will pick up late regalia one hour prior to the ceremony at Hancher Auditorium.

Regalia Pricing

Additional information about regalia pricing is available here.

Regalia Contacts

We would encourage you to copy both Tracy Brodrick (tracy-brodrick@uiowa.edu) from the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore and Melissa Hibbard from Herff Jones (gradmidwest@gmail.com) on all emails with questions about regalia moving forward.

UICA Fall Graduation Celebration

The UI Center for Advancement (UICA) has an email promotion for this event. We will also plan to include information in our final commencement message. Additional details that you are welcome to share with your students are below.

UICA Fall Graduation Celebration
Saturday, Dec. 16 | 8 a.m.–noon
Levitt Center for University Advancement,1 W. Park Road
Iowa City, Iowa

The University of Iowa Center for Advancement recognizes your milestone accomplishment with pride and invites you (and your family and friends) to join us as part of your weekend celebration. Visit the Levitt Center for University Advancement on Saturday, Dec. 16, to pick up your alumni starter kit, get your professional photos taken, and enjoy snacks and beverages. Registration is $5 per person, and kids 12 and under are free.

Register for the Fall Graduation Celebration here.

Commencement Program

A PDF of the Fall 2023 Commencement Program has been added to the commencement website. Printed programs will be given to students at the ceremonies.

Below are a few reminders about the program in case you are getting questions from your students.

  • Inclusion in the commencement program is not tied to participation in a ceremony.
  • All graduates are listed in the program according to the time at which they earned or are expected to earn a degree.
    • Summer and fall graduate names appear in the fall program even if the student is participating in a spring ceremony.
  • Applying for a degree after the degree application deadline may result in exclusion of the student name from the commencement program.
  • Having a directory restriction on the student's academic record may also result in exclusion of the student name from the program.

We will make one final round of edits to the PDF following all fall ceremonies. If you hear from a student that they were not included but should have been, please ask them to email us at UI-commencement@uiowa.edu.