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. A recording of the meeting for anyone unable to attend may be found below. Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, March 6 at 11 a.m. via Teams.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions by contacting us at UI-commencement@uiowa.edu.

Regalia Information

Student Regalia

The most current information regarding student regalia, including important deadlines and links to the Herff Jones online ordering portal, is available on the commencement website.

  • Order by Monday, March 14 to have regalia shipped to the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore.

    • No additional cost for this option.
    • Orders will be available for pickup beginning April 16 at Grad Fest. After Grad Fest, any unclaimed regalia will be available for pickup at the Hawk Shop.
  • Order by Wednesday, April 17 for direct home shipping.

    • The student is responsible for the cost of shipping.
    • Orders will be delivered approximately three weeks after the order is placed.
    • International orders are accepted, but delivery times may vary.

A limited supply of regalia is available in the Iowa Hawk Shop.

Regalia Pickup for Online Students:

Online students traveling to campus for an in-person commencement ceremony who have shipped their regalia to the Hawk Shop may pick it up at their convenience during regular bookstore hours.

Emergency Kits for Ceremonies

Emergency kits for the day of the ceremony will be available. Please contact Gabby McIlvanie (gabrielle-mcilvanie@uiowa.edu) from the Iowa Hawk Shop if you are interested in a kit.

Faculty Regalia

Faculty Regalia Deadline: Thursday, April 17 for individual and group rentals.

Individual Faculty Rentals

Faculty may rent their own regalia through the Herff Jones faculty rental page. Payment can be made via PCard or personal credit card. The regalia will be shipped directly to the faculty member with a prepaid FedEx return label to return the regalia within one week of commencement.

Group Faculty Rentals

Please complete the group faculty rental spreadsheet for group orders. These orders will ship to the Iowa Hawk Shop. After completing the spreadsheet, email it back to Gabby, and she will submit the order. Once the order arrives in the store, Gabby will notify the contact for pickup. Payment is due at pickup and can be made with a P-card.

Please contact Gabby for assistance with placing group faculty rental orders for your college.

Regalia Contacts

Graduation Support Program

The Dean of Students Graduation Support Program offers financial assistance for graduation apparel and materials to students experiencing financial hardship. The program provides funding for eligible students – undergraduate, graduate, and professional – for the costs associated with graduation apparel and materials. For more details, including eligibility and how to apply for funding, visit the Dean of Students website.

Diploma Covers

  • At this time, diploma covers are available for purchase in-store only at the Hawk Shop. An online ordering option is being evaluated.

  • For bulk orders, please contact Gabby.

RSVP Deadlines

April 13: RSVP Closes

April 1417: RSVP Extension 

See all commencement-related deadlines on the coordinator resources page.

Commencement Coordinator Resources

Updated Run of Show and Script Templates will be available soon.

New website templates for additional information for graduates and guests are now available on the coordinator resources webpage.

Coordinator Resources Webpage

Please visit our coordinator resources webpage on the commencement website.

  • Apparel timeline
  • Deadlines
  • Communications timeline
  • Commencement attendance management information
  • Details about livestreams and closed captioning
  • Regalia pricing

Carver Ceremony Volunteer Reminders

Double Line Ceremony

Card Scanning: Two volunteers are needed to scan cards as graduates prepare to cross the stage. 

Name Advancing: Two volunteers are required to advance the names of graduates as they are crossing the stage.

Single Line Ceremony

Card Scanning: One volunteer is required to scan cards as graduates prepare to cross the stage.

Name Advancing: One volunteer is required to advance the names of graduates as they are crossing the stage. 

Post-Ceremony Floor Cleanup

Each college is responsible for providing volunteers to assist with cleanup after the ceremony. This includes ensuring the ceremony floor is clear of debris, programs, and any other materials to prepare for the next event.