SUMMER COMMENCEMENT INFORMATION
Please note that ALL communication from the Commencement Coordinator 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.
The August 2024 program will be available here a couple weeks prior to the event. Until then, you may view last year's program to see what it will be like. Click here to view the 2023 August Commencement Program.
Commencement will be streamed online here. (NOTE: this link will not be live until the day/time of the event, and this is the same link that those who wish to view the recording will be able to use.)
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.
Commencement will be held in the Iles P.E. Center. You 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). You will receive a second confirmation email when that happens.
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.
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. The space in your seating area is quite limited, and we do not want your special mementos to be stepped on, damaged, or left behind. Please also note that Southern’s official dress code still applies.
If you receive the wrong photo, or don't receive your photo at all, please contact their customer service department at (800) 261-2576, visit online at www.gradimages.com, or email them at ecc.giservice@gradimages.net.
There are some restrictions that you need to make your family and/or friends aware of for the graduation service on August 23:
- 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.