Commencement Convocation 2013

Graduation Ceremonies May 2013

 

University Commencement
Sunday, May 19, 2013, 12:30 p.m.
High Point Solutions Stadium

Graduating from Rutgers means enjoying a multipart ceremony. One is University Commencement, a giant celebration with your fellow students from across the entire university and all three campuses. There, you will see your name scroll on the stadium ribbon board and enjoy special videos such as graduate shout-outs to family and friends, Honorary Degree recipient tributes, photo montages, and more. With thousands of guests saluting the culmination of your achievement, it will be a day you will never forget.

Field Map [PDF]
Students: Find out where to line up for the recessional and where you will be seated on the field.
Parents: Find out where Mason Gross School students will be seated on the field during the day of commencement.

Learn more about University Commencement.

Mason Gross Convocation
Saturday, May 18, 2013, 2:30 p.m.
State Theatre, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick

Your other must-attend graduation ceremony is this intimate event, where you’ll join with your graduating class and faculty members to receive individual recognition. The Mason Gross School of the Arts Convocation will include the following festivities:

• Your name will be read
• Celebrate with the students, faculty, and staff who have been alongside you during your studies at the Mason Gross School
• Attend a postceremony reception

General Student Information

 

If you anticipate graduating in May 2013, you must submit a diploma application. The diploma application is available online here. Please be sure to fill out the online diploma application by April 1 for undergraduates and March 15 for graduate students.

Mason Gross Convocation

May 2010

The Mason Gross Convocation ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. at the State Theatre in downtown New Brunswick. This event is meant to celebrate all Mason Gross graduating students across all four disciplines. Each student will have the opportunity to have his/her name called, walk across the stage and shake the hand of the Dean of Mason Gross, Dean George Stauffer. Mason Gross faculty and staff who have been aiding students in their time at Mason Gross are also in attendance. A reception will be held following the ceremony in the Mason Gross Galleries at Civic Square, 33 Livingston Avenue, next door to the State Theatre. This is a great opportunity for photos with other Mason Gross students and Mason Gross faculty.

This year's commencement speaker is pianist and NPR From the Top host Christopher O'Riley. O’Riley has redefined the possibilities of classical music through media, contemporary music, and innovative programming. In addition to hosting From the Top’s radio and television programs and appearing with top orchestras and festivals around the world, O’Riley is an interpreter of some of the most important contemporary popular music of our time. He lives by the Duke Ellington adage, “there are only two kinds of music, good music and bad.” O’Riley has performed two-piano arrangements of Astor Piazzolla’s tangos with Argentine pianist Pablo Ziegler and collaborated with choreographer Martha Clarke in a work which sets the staged stories of Anton Chekhov to the piano works of Alexander Scriabin. He has recorded two discs of his own reimaginings of Radiohead songs, as well as that of singer/songwriter Nick Drake, and a tribute to Elliot Smith. In 2009 he drew from the works of Nirvana, REM, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Tori Amos, The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, and Portishead among others in Out of My Hands. In 2011, O’Riley teamed up with cellist Matt Haimovitz on Shuffle.Play.Listen., a collaboration that plumbs the virtuosic possibilities of their instruments and blurs the boundaries between classical and pop music. O’Riley is a recipient of top prizes and awards from the Van Cliburn Competition and the Avery Fisher Career Grants. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston.

This year's student speaker is Dance student Hayden Katz. 

Hayden Katz is from Red Bank, New Jersey. He has been involved with dance for nearly his entire life. While a Dance major at Rutgers, he has had the esteemed pleasure of working with many spectacular teachers and choreographers including: Kim Gibilisco, Reagan Wood, Julia Ritter, John Evans, Keith Thompson, Jeff Friedman, Randy James, Robert Benford, Paulette Sears, Brian Brooks, Sherry Alban, Ginger Thatcher, Jennifer Muller, and Stephanie Batten Bland. Hayden is the stage manager for Randy James’s all-male dance company 10 Hairy Legs, and a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 536. He has also worked as a freelance lighting designer for a range of performers from Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company to Judy Collins.

Student Information

  • What if I still need one or two classes to graduate?

Any undergraduate who has 6 credits or fewer outstanding from the 120 required to complete both the liberal arts requirements and the major requirements for the B.F.A. or B.Mus. degree is asked to see Dean Coakley. Students with 6 or fewer credits remaining to complete the degree may be allowed to participate in the Mason Gross Convocation ceremony provided they have enrolled in the appropriate courses in an accredited summer program and have had the summer credits preapproved by the Dean’s Office. Please see Dean Coakley as soon as possible to learn if you are eligible to “walk” in May.

  • How many guests can I invite to the ceremony?

The Mason Gross Convocation is a nonticketed, general admission event. Accommodating for graduating students, the State Theatre has 1,500 seats available for family members. This means that each graduating student in attendance has an average of five family seats available. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Can my nongraduating Rutgers and/or Mason Gross friends come to the ceremony?

Due to the number of graduates and to ensure the seating of all of their family members, it is strongly suggested that nongraduating Rutgers and/or Mason Gross students do not attend the ceremony and meet their friends at the reception at the Civic Square Building afterwards.

  • Where do I obtain my regalia?

Regalia can be obtained from the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore in the Ferren Mall. Regalia should be available beginning March 30. Please inform the bookstore that you are from Mason Gross. You will need to purchase a gown, cap, tassel, and hood. The entire package should cost around $70. SAS students who have completed a B.A. major are welcome to attend wearing SAS regalia. Academic regalia is required if you plan to attend the ceremony.

  • What time and where do I report to the ceremony?

If you are planning to take part in the Convocation ceremony, you should report to the Civic Square Building no later than 1:30 p.m. You will receive all instructions at that time.

  • Is there a rehearsal for commencement?

There will not be a rehearsal for students. All necessary information will be relayed to you when you report to the Civic Square Building. Mason Gross staff will assist you step-by-step through the ceremony.

  • What if I have a guest with a disability attending the ceremony?

Accessible seating will be available in the rear of the orchestra section of the State Theatre and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to accommodate all requests and per ADA laws, those requiring accessible seating will have one (1) companion seat in addition to their accessible seat. Graduating students should contact Kayleigh Cesare at kcesare@masongross.rutgers.edu if your guests have any hearing or mobility impairments. Accessible seating can only be guaranteed for those who inform the Dean’s Office prior to the ceremony. All held seats will be forfeit 10 minutes prior to the scheduled ceremony start time. Guests can be dropped off at the main entrance if all accessible parking is full.

  • What time should my guests arrive at the State Theatre?

The house will open at approximately 1:30 p.m. There is no reserved seating. Be sure to allow ample time for arrival due to traffic patterns and weather.

Parent Information

  • How do I get to the State Theatre?

Directions are available here.

  • Where do I park?

Parking is available for a fee in a few locations in the downtown New Brunswick area. Click here for locations.

  • What can I bring with me?

This is a very busy event, and space in the seating area is limited. The event staff cannot monitor or be responsible for personal items. Flowers and balloons are not permitted in the seating area.

  • What time will the State Theatre open?

We will open the house for seating at approximately 1:30 p.m.

  • Can I obtain tickets or reserve specific seats in advance of the ceremony?

No. The Mason Gross Convocation is a nonticketed, general admission event. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • How many guests can I invite to the ceremony?

The State Theatre has roughly 1,500 seats available for family. This means that each graduating student in attendance has an average of five family seats available. A postceremony reception is being held at the Civic Square Building. Additional guests are welcome to join you there.

  • Can I save seats for family who are running late?

In order to accommodate all those in attendance, please wait for your entire party prior to entering the seating area. All empty seats will be filled by event staff as necessary.

  • What is the late seating policy?

If you arrive late to the ceremony, you will be seated at the discretion of the event management in a predetermined late seating area. Late seating usually occurs after the student and faculty processionals, roughly 10–15 minutes into the ceremony. After that, seating will be determined by the event staff and seat availability.

  • What if there are no more seats when I arrive?

Due to fire codes, there is a limit to the number of people allowed in the State Theatre. Once this number is met, no more people will be admitted. It is suggested that you make sure you give yourself ample time to get to New Brunswick, park, and walk to the theater. The State Theatre has a video/audio feed into the lobby for the full event.

  • Can we sit near or with our graduate?

No. The family seating area will be determined by event staff.

  • Can we bring an infant or small child?

All infants and small children should be able to sit quietly or you will be asked to leave the ceremony. Please make arrangements for childcare if your infant or small child cannot sit quietly for the duration of the ceremony. Strollers and car seats are not permitted in the seating area.

  • What if I have a guest with a disability attending the ceremony?

Accessible seating will be available in the rear of the orchestra section of the State Theatre and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to accommodate all requests and per ADA laws, those requiring accessible seating will have one (1) companion seat in addition to their accessible seat. Graduating students should contact Kayleigh Cesare at kcesare@masongross.rutgers.edu if their guests have any hearing or mobility impairments that require prearranged accessible seating. Accessible seating can only be guaranteed for those who inform the Dean’s Office prior to the ceremony. All held seats will be forfeit 10 minutes prior to the scheduled ceremony start time. Guests can be dropped off at the main entrance if all accessible parking is full.

  • How long will the ceremony last?

The ceremony lasts approximately two-and-a-half hours, depending on the number of students graduating and the speakers.

  • Can I bring food, beverages, or bottled water into the ceremony?

No. Food or beverages are not allowed in the State Theatre.

  • Can I take pictures?

Yes, you can take pictures. However, we ask that you be aware of students and other guests and not obstruct the aisles or block the view for someone else.

  • Can I meet my graduate in the seating area after the ceremony?

It is respectfully requested that families and friends arrange to meet each other at the reception in the Civic Square Building following the ceremony. The seating area closes directly after the ceremony ends.