2012 Commencement Ceremony Information

The following information is for the Class of 2012 as well as family and friends that will be celebrating with them at the Commencement Ceremony on May 6.

Please note that participation in the ceremony is not the same as graduation; please check http://www.hope.edu/admin/registrar/nav/graduation.html for graduation information; students check their degree evaluation to determine graduation course requirements. Eligibility for the May 2012 Commencement Ceremony includes students who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, and whose graduation date is December 2011, May 2012, July 2012 or December 2012. Students must apply to graduate to be on the ceremony list.

Official college communication regarding commencement is sent by e-mail to Hope student e-mail addresses. Students will be receiving updates on the following events as they occur. If a student applied to participate in the ceremony and is not receiving these e-mails, please contact Gloria Shay at shay@hope.edu

The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations will also send informational e-mails to parents. Families may update parent contact information with the college at www.hope.edu/advancement/update.

Timeline and Information

AUGUST-DECEMBER

Deadline to Apply to Graduate
October 18, 2011; extension for latecomers: January 18
E-mail sent to students with 66 or more earned credits. Apply to graduate http://www.hope.edu/admin/registrar/gradapp.html and indicate May ceremony participation. Applying by the deadline allows students to participate in all planned events.  Late applicants may miss out on votes, events, tickets and honors considerations.

Vote for Commencement Speaker
November 15
Candidate information and an online ballot are sent via e-mail to applied ceremony participants during this week.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

Graduation Application Confirmation
February 1-10
E-mails sent requesting students to check and confirm or correct application information. Corrections are due by Feb 10.

December 2011 graduates and students in Spring off-campus programs who indicated participation in the May 2012 ceremony will be contacted in February at their Hope e-mail with specific directions on how they may complete the Senior Days (see below) orders and purchases. Response deadline: March 31.

Senior Days
February 29 & March 1 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
DeWitt Student Center Lounge

Order graduation announcements, ceremony DVDs, class rings, etc. Students make their senior class gift, learn about The Last Hurrah, services available to them as alumni, and on-campus dining options for May 6. Caps and gowns do not need to be pre-ordered and will be available for immediate pick up; there is no charge.

Personalized graduation announcements are made to order.  Optional, but many families appreciate having them. Personalized announcements are $24.95 for 25 if ordered by March 15, 2012.  They are $29.95 after March 15.  Pay at the time of order by cash, check, credit card or charging on the HopeCard account.  Generic announcements are also available for purchase at anytime: $9.95 for 10. For more information contact Hope-Geneva Bookstore at 616-395-7833 or visit www.hope.edu/bookstore/seniordays.htm

Missed Senior Days?  Cap and Gowns will be available in the Hope-Geneva Bookstore, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.  If reserving a cap and gown from off-campus, please e-mail shaughnessyp@hope.edu and include height and weight.

Other graduation items, including announcements, DVDs, class rings and diploma frames, may be purchased in the Bookstore or ordered online using the Senior Days link above.

MARCH

Commencement Ceremony Participation Deadline
March 1
Deadline for students to notify shay@hope.edu to indicate whether or not they will participate in the 2012 Commencement Ceremony.

Deadline for Discounted Orders of Commencement Announcements
March 16
Visit the Hope-Geneva Bookstore for more information.

H.O.P.E. Professor Voting
March-April
Two e-mail ballots will be sent to ceremony participants to vote for H.O.P.E. Professor.  The first vote narrows the field; the final vote in April determines the winner.

APRIL

Dining Service Breakfast and Brunch Tickets for May 6.

April 11 – May 4

DeVos Fieldhouse Ticket Office

Advance tickets for either meal may be ordered/purchased/picked up at the DeVos Fieldhouse ticket office, 616-395-7890. Deadline for advance sale is May 4. Cash-only sales on May 6, Commencement day, and only at Phelps Hall. Advance tickets required for Cook Hall. See “Commencement Day Breakfast and Brunch” on May 6 for all the details.

Baccalaureate and Commencement Ceremony Ticket Ordering and Pick-up

April 11 - 22
DeVos Fieldhouse Ticket Office

Students receive an emailed order form in early April. Grad candidates do not need tickets for these May 6 events, but can order guest tickets.

Baccalaureate: an optional worship service, 9:30 am or 11:30 am; number of available tickets dependent on demand-usually 2 or 3 maximum.

Commencement: No tickets required for outdoor (Holland Stadium) Commencement Ceremony. Inside Bad Weather Commencement: up to 4 tickets allowed in DeVos Fieldhouse.

Deadlines: to order tickets: April 22; to pick up tickets: May 4 at the DeVos Fieldhouse Ticket Office.

Alumni Weekend
April 27 - 28

Students are invited to attend a Saturday afternoon Open House at President and Mrs. Bultman’s home. The Distinguished Alumni Award recipients will be in attendance at this event. For more information, visit www.hope.edu/alumni.

MAY

Commencement Rehearsal
May 2 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

DeVos Fieldhouse
Mandatory for all ceremony participants.  Exceptions: if students are on an off-campus program or have unavoidable employment conflicts, they may have a trusted friend who is attending rehearsal get the information and name/seat card.  Cards left after the rehearsal will be available Thursday and Friday, 8-5, in the Registrar’s office.

The Last Hurrah
May 3

Ceremony participants of the Class of 2012 are welcomed into the Alumni Association at “The Last Hurrah” at Camp Geneva. This Thursday evening event is free, and includes food, outdoor activities, bonfires with s’mores, prizes, entertainment and more. Transportation will be provided. Questions? Contact alumni@hope.edu or 616-395-7250.

Baccalaureate-Worship Service
May 6 9:30 am or 11:30 am
Dimnent Chapel
Attendance is optional. Graduation candidates do NOT need a ticket, but guests do.  Students order and pick up guest tickets in April—See “Baccalaureate and Commencement Ceremony Ticket Ordering and Pick-up” in April. There are two identical worship services at 9:30 and 11:30, the morning of the commencement ceremony. Grad candidates wear caps and gowns and sit together as a class. The service usually lasts about an hour.

Commencement Day Breakfast and Brunch
May 6
Dining Services offers a continental breakfast and a brunch conveniently located on campus. They offer complimentary tickets to each grad candidate and up to two family members for either meal.

Continental Breakfast served 8:00 – 10:00 am, Phelps Dining Hall.  Advance tickets and cash sales accepted.

Grad candidate and two family members, complimentary

Family and Friends, $4.50

Children, ages 5-10, $2.25

Children, ages 4 and under, complimentary.

Brunch served 10:45 am – 2:00 pm, Cook Hall (for this location, no cash sales; advance tickets only due to limited seating) and Phelps Dining Hall (Advance tickets or cash sales). The menu is the same for each location.

Grad candidate and two family members, complimentary

Family and Friends, $9.00

Children, ages 5-10, $4.50

Children, ages 4 and under, complimentary

For advance tickets, please see April calendar above: “Dining Service Breakfast and Brunch Tickets for May 6”

Commencement Ceremony

May 6 3:00 pm
Holland Municipal Stadium (Bad-Weather Location is DeVos Fieldhouse)*

Grad candidates wear caps and gowns and sit together as a class.  No tickets needed for this venue.  Arrive in cap and gown with your name card no later than 2:30 pm to line up. The Ceremony lasts approximately two hours.

*Bad Weather Ceremony Location: DeVos Fieldhouse.  Tickets required for this venue; see ordering information above in April. Last minute Weather/Location info at www.hope.edu or Hotline: 616-395-7888. Overflow seating/live feed for Commencement Ceremony is on a first-come, first-served basis at the Knickerbocker Theatre. If at the DeVos Fieldhouse, the ceremony will be streamed live on the internet. More detailed information and the link will be posted at www.hope.edu May 6.

Commencement DVD

Hope College is pleased to make available the complete Baccalaureate Service and Commencement Ceremony in DVD format.  Take advantage of Hope’s expertise and leave the recording to us so you can focus more fully on these special events.  This two-disk set must be pre-ordered by May 15th; it will be available in early June and can either be shipped to your home address or picked up at the Hope-Geneva Bookstore.  Order online at www.hope.edu/bookstore or at Senior Days.  Price: $9.95

Whom to Contact

Registrar’s Office
Gloria Shay, 616-395-7759, shay@hope.edu
For academic, graduation list and diploma questions, disability seating for grad candidate. For guest disability seating, see Events and Conferences Office.

Hope-Geneva Bookstore
Mark Cook, 616-395-7833, cook@hope.edu

For caps & gowns, announcements, DVDs, rings, diploma frames, etc.

Ticket Office
Anne Bakker, 616-395-7890, tickets@hope.edu
For Baccalaureate Tickets, Commencement Bad-Weather Location Tickets, Commencement Day Breakfast or Brunch Tickets

Alumni Association
Scott Travis, 616-395-7250, alumni@hope.edu
For The Last Hurrah & Alumni Weekend

Events and Conferences Office, 616-395-7222, events@hope.edu

For Baccalaureate and Commencement Ceremony guest disability seating.

Senior Class Gift
Dianne DeYoung, 616-395-7796, deyoungd@hope.edu

Dining Services
Bob Van Heukelom, 616-395-7930, vanheukelom@hope.edu

Milestone Year Book
Milestone@hope.edu

For Senior Photos and Year Book orders.