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JSU Announces Split Commencement |
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JACKSONVILLE -- October 4, 2002 -- To accommodate a growing student
population and ease crowding at commencement facilities, Jacksonville State
University will hold a split, two-ceremony graduation (one event in the
morning, another in the afternoon) on Saturday, December 14 at Pete Mathews
Coliseum, with candidates for graduation divided by colleges. During the 10 a.m. commencement, graduating seniors in the College of Education and Professional Studies and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, along with graduate students from both colleges, will receive degrees. Candidates in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Commerce and Business Administration will attend the 2 p.m. ceremony. Each ceremony will accommodate approximately 200 students. President Bill Meehan said commencements have grown in attendance in recent years because "much of the growth of our student population is due to retention -- students are enrolling, becoming successful in their studies, and completing their goal of graduation. "When students graduate, they want as many family members and friends to attend as possible, which has made our single-event commencement ceremonies at the Coliseum more congested. Our plan to move to a split commencement will better accommodate our guests," he said. Commencements had grown so large that safety was a concern. Each candidate was issued a limited number of "tickets" for family members to be admitted in order to hold the audience to the occupancy standards set by fire marshals. "We received negative feedback about the restrictions we had to impose, so we're hoping the split commencement will solve the problem," Meehan said. To make the change possible, the University is moving from the traditional Friday evening to a Saturday graduation date. Rehearsals for graduation will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13 to mirror the Saturday events. Specific information will be mailed to candidates for graduation within the next few weeks. Students who are planning to graduate this semester and have not submitted their application for degree to the appropriate office in their college should contact the dean's office of their college immediately. For more information, on-campus students may contact the Registrar's Office at 782-5400. Off-campus persons, including parents and family, may contact the News Bureau at 256-782-5468. |
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