May 12, 2008
Mary Ann Travis
mtravis@tulane.edu
Expect a friendly, high-energy ceremony: For the first time, all bachelor's degree recipients of Tulane University's schools of Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, Business, Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Continuing Studies will join together in the Newcomb-Tulane College diploma ceremony on Saturday (May 17).
Five schools and nearly 1,400 recipients of bachelor’s degrees will gather for the Newcomb-Tulane College diploma ceremony on Saturday afternoon (May 17) in the Louisiana Superdome. (Photo by Neil Alexander)
Nearly 1,400 graduates are eligible to participate in the diploma ceremony that follows University Commencement in the Louisiana Superdome.
"It's wonderful to have a diploma-granting ceremony together," says James MacLaren, dean of Newcomb-Tulane College.
MacLaren, who also is a professor of physics, is looking forward to seeing students he's taught receive recognition for their achievements. "I'm delighted to celebrate with them," he says. "They've worked hard for four years, and they should have a sense of accomplishment. It's always an exciting time."
MacLaren, along with Tulane President Scott Cowen and deans of the schools, will congratulate the graduates as they walk across the stage.
Actual diplomas will be ready for picking up backstage immediately after the ceremony. Staff members from the registrar's office will be on hand to do the honors.
Like the creation of Newcomb-Tulane College itself, the diploma ceremony is a result of Tulane University's reinvention through the 2005 Renewal Plan in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Newcomb-Tulane College is the academic home for all of Tulane's fulltime undergraduate students. The college provides academic services, including advising, the honors program, study abroad and other student programs.
Students are admitted to a school at Tulane when they decide what their academic major is. For example, a history major is in the School of Liberal Arts; a chemistry major is enrolled in the School of Science and Engineering.
Trina Beck, director of Newcomb-Tulane College programs, is part of the committee that is organizing commencement events. "It's obviously going to be new and different," she says.
Beck says that most students are happy about seeing friends in other schools graduate in the same ceremony. Also, graduates earning dual bachelor's degrees have only one ceremony to attend.
The degree recipients will sit in random order — something students have long asked for — with classmates from their respective schools. Prior to the ceremony, they will receive cards with their names on them. As each one approaches the stage, the graduate will hand the card to an announcer.
"Students are excited about sitting with their friends, not having to line up in alphabetical order," says Beck.
The diploma ceremony is scheduled to begin a half-hour after the conclusion of University Commencement, which begins at 9 a.m., also in the Superdome.
MacLaren anticipates the diploma ceremony will last one and a half to two hours. "We want the ceremony to have academic gravitas," says MacLaren, "but we also want it to move along at a reasonable pace."
http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/051208_diploma.cfm
May 12, 2008
Alicia Duplessis
aduples@tulane.edu
The 2008 Tulane University graduates heading out with a world-class education are dressing the part with newly designed commencement robes to commemorate several ceremony "firsts" and to promote university identity.
The new master’s degree robe, which will debut at Saturday’s (May 17) commencement ceremony, is black with two tabs on the front embroidered with the Tulane logo. (Photos by Alicia Duplessis)
This year's commencement ceremony marks the return to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina and the inauguration of a diploma ceremony for all undergraduate degree candidates.
Graduates who received their new, custom-designed robes during Grad Fest and those who have been trickling into the university bookstore, which doubles as a secondary pick-up location for regalia, seem pleased with the new design, says Larry Jones, Tulane University bookstore manager.
GradFest, held in the Lavin-Bernick Center on the uptown campus, was a one-stop event for degree candidates to purchase caps and gowns, order personalized graduation announcements, take a formal cap and gown photo and meet with accounts receivable, career services and the financial aid office. This year's GradFest was held March 6–7.
"GradFest is so crazy and so crowded that many students choose to wait until they get home to pull the gowns out of the pack," Jones says. "It's hard to tell whether their excitement is because of the gown's new look or due to the fact that they were simply receiving the gown that they worked so hard for."
Samantha Shinsato, a bachelor’s degree candidate and Tulane University Bookstore employee, models the newly customized PhD robe. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree recipients all will wear new robes that promote the university’s identity.
Bachelor's and master's robes were redesigned to make them more easily identifiable from each other. Though subtle, the changes add a bit of flare to the basic black robes worn at previous commencement ceremonies.
"For instance, the green color on the master's hood is a more appealing shade," says Jones. "The changes make each set a little more special, a little more unique and little more Tulane."
Robes for bachelor's degree candidates are black with a green Tulane University shield printed on the yoke of the garment. Master's degree candidates will wear black gowns with two-inch tabs embroidered with university shields at the front. And PhD robes, completely different this year, are hunter green with black velvet trim and Tulane shields on the front.
Debbie Grant, vice president for university communications, says, "Our commencement committee has tried each year to add something new to make our graduation celebration more special. This year we turned our attention to regalia and I think the new gowns showcase our pride in Tulane."
http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/051208_robes.cfm