DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT INFORMATION
Each graduate who registers will be automatically listed for 8 tickets upon registering. Should additional tickets be required, graduates can email graduation@southern.edu to request up to 8 additional tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note that all guests will need a ticket, with the exception of babies under the age of 1. E-tickets will be used, and those e-tickets will be sent out to each graduate (and to one optional guest for distribution) 24 hours before his/her event and again three hours prior to his/her event. Graduates can then disburse their tickets to their guests. Each ticket can only be used once.
Requests for additional tickets can only be handled up to December 5. After that point, should you have additional guests, they will need to enter the gym via the line at the far left of the gym lobby until all seating is full.
Commencement will be streamed online here. (NOTE: this link will not be live until the day/time of the event.)
Graduates and faculty will need to have their Southern ID (or driver's license) with them to enter the Hulsey Wellness Center and line up. A lanyard will be provided as needed to carry the ID. The December 2023 program is available here. An updated program for December 2024 will be uploaded a couple weeks prior to the event.
Commencement will be held in the Iles P.E. Center.
Each graduate who registers will receive an automatic email thanking you for your registration, and then it will need to go through an approval process via Records (or Graduate and Professional Studies), and you will receive a second confirmation email when that happens.
Please note that ALL communication from the Commencement Coordinator AND your e-tickets will go to the email address you enter into the registration system. Please be sure you type it carefully. Also note that if you choose to register with a personal email address, you will need watch that address for communication.
Info/Instructions for parents & graduates
Our new provider link for you to visit and order your regalia is: http://www.orderhj.com/Southern. Regalia consists of the cap, gown, tassel, and hood, ALL of which are required in order to march at commencement. Undergraduates will wear their tassels on the right, Graduate students wear tassels on the left. The website is open for ordering now.
Since this event is a celebration of your academic achievements, you are not allowed to march with items beyond those provided by the university. If your guests have flowers or gifts for you, please be sure they give them to you after the service. Space is limited in the seating area, and we don't want your special mementos to be damaged or stepped on. Please also note that Southern’s official dress code still applies.
There are some restrictions that you need to make your family and/or friends aware of for the commencement service on December 14:
- Balloons are not allowed in the Iles P.E. Center. We wish to avoid the possibility of balloons making their way to the ceiling in the gymnasium, triggering the infrared sensors and fire alarm, and forcing the evacuation of the entire building. We do not want to take any chances of this happening during or after your program.
- In our pursuit of a commencement service that is honorable, respects all graduates equally, and protects guests with sensitive ears and/or hearing aids, we ask that there be no use of noise makers or mess-making devices including but not limited to: air horns, silly string, poppers, etc. These items will be respectfully confiscated if found and may be returned after the ceremony. Thank you for abiding by this policy and making family and friends aware of this restriction to ensure a smooth, pain-free service for everyone.
Floral tributes will be available for purchase in the Iles P.E. Center lobby through BLLUUM. To place an order and for custom requests, call 423.541.6767 or email blluumfed@gmail.com.
Congratulations to our graduates!