University-Wide Commencement Ceremony

The University-wide Commencement Ceremony will be held on the Homewood Field of the Homewood campus at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2008. Those eligible to participate are degree candidates from all the schools of Johns Hopkins University. Diplomas will be issued to those Doctoral candidates who have been formally approved by the respective Faculty Boards prior to Commencement. Degrees will be conferred for all candidates.

 
Essential Information about Commencement

Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008

Time: Candidates must report to their robing locations by 7:30 a.m. as outlined below. The Processional will begin promptly at 8:55 a.m.

Place: The ceremony will take place on Homewood Field, University Parkway, Baltimore, MD.

Cap & Gown: Cap and gown are mandatory for any student who wishes to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

Cap & Gown Pick Up: Your cap and gown will be shipped directly to the address you provided when it was ordered. If you missed the March 28th and April 4th ordering deadlines, extras will be available from the Barnes and Noble Johns Hopkins Bookstore at 3300 St. Paul Street, Homewood, beginning Saturday, May 17th at 10:00 am. These extras will be distributed on a first come first served basis. There is a $20.00 late fee for each order. No reservations, phone or fax orders will be accepted.

Cap & Gown Return: Doctoral candidates from Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Education may return their gown and hood outside the Athletic Center immediately following the ceremony. There will be a van/truck and a representative from Herff Jones accepting the returns until 12 noon.
Medical institutions and SAIS should follow instructions from their Book Store.
Peabody Institute will send instructions from the Peabody Office of Student Affairs.
Regalia returned to Barnes and Noble Johns Hopkins Bookstore after May 27, 2008 will be subject to a $10.00 late fee.
Bachelor and Master candidates may keep their regalia and all graduates may keep the tassel from the mortarboard.

 
Robing Locations are as Follows:

Academic Procession: At 8:55 a.m. the groups of candidates will move in sequence from the Athletic Center onto Homewood Field as guided by Marshals and staff from the Homewood Registrar's Office. Candidates will then march down the center aisle, to the appropriate row in the seating area. Candidates will remain standing until after the Invocation. Men will remove their caps before the Invocation and replace them when they rise for conferring of degrees.

Conferring of Degrees: During the ceremony the appropriate officers will present to the President of the University the candidates for degrees. As each group is presented, that group will stand while the President confers the degree. All doctoral candidates will proceed to the stage individually, according to degree, as their names are called, where all except Doctors of Medicine will be given their diplomas. (Doctors of Medicine receive their diplomas at 2:30 p.m. in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral Street, on Thursday, May 22, 2008.)

 
Divisional Ceremonies

 
Severe Weather Plan

Unless there is severe weather (torrential rain, thunder/lightening), the ceremonies will be held outdoors on Homewood Field. In case of severe weather conditions that make it unsafe to continue holding the ceremony outside, there will be an abbreviated ceremony.

If it becomes necessary to cancel the morning or afternoon ceremony, announcements will be made no later than 6:30 a.m. for the morning ceremony and no later than noon for the undergraduate ceremony, on the University�s website (www.jhu.edu) and the Weather Emergency Line, (410-521-7781).

If the morning ceremony is canceled, the doctoral candidates who had planned to attend may pick up their diplomas in the Goldfarb Gymnasium in the Newton White Athletic Center between the hours of 9am � 11am. All other degree recipients will be instructed to attend the ceremony for their respective school.

 
[Updated 24Mar08]