Graduation
A page within Student Affairs Administration (SAA)
Graduation Ceremony Details
The Student Affairs Administration graduation event will be held at 10:00 AM (CST) on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the Bluffs of the UWL Student Union. The ceremony will include both master's and doctorate students. Directly following the graduation ceremony, folks are invited to enjoy some snacks, cake, and refreshments. The reception will be held on the first floor of the Student Union.
Graduates:
Please report to 2100 Student Union (next to the bluffs) 45 minutes prior to the ceremony. For the processional, you will need to line up in the order listed in the printed program.
Guests:
Doors to the Bluffs will open for guests around 9:30 AM (CST).
Information for Students
Eligibility to Participate:
Master’s students who have fewer than 9 credits to complete can participate in the May graduation ceremony.
Graduation Attire:
Master’s students can order their gown, hood, cap, and tassel on the bookstore website. The deadline to order is in April. Students can choose to pick up their items at the bookstore or have them shipped directly to them.
Capstone Poster Presentation:
The poster presentation will occur on Friday, May 10 from 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. in Centennial 1300, Hall of Nations at the UWL campus. Students: please plan to arrive at 12:45 pm. You will present in groups as listed on the Capstone Poster Presentation schedule.
Note: The SAA department will coordinate the printing of the posters and cover the printing costs.
Graduation Attire:
Doctoral students can either rent or purchase their attire. You will only have the option to order black gowns, but you can choose either black or education light blue for the chevrons/lapel. To submit your order, email the form below to Kelly Proksch (kproksch@uwlax.edu). The deadline to order regalia for the May 2023 ceremony is March 15, 2023.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When ordering your attire, be sure to specifically tell Kelly that you want the eight-sided tam (hat).
FAQs
We currently do not have a restriction on the number of guests that can attend.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide live streaming at this time. However, the university commencement ceremony is streamed and recorded. You are welcome to attend commencement in addition to our ceremony. More information about commencement can be found in the question below.
The SAA graduation ceremony is held annually in May. Students who have graduated in the previous summer or fall semesters are welcome to attend the May ceremony. At this ceremony, students will participate in a traditional processional march alongside their fellow SAA graduates and receive their academic hood from an SAA faculty member. Here's a look at the setup from last year's ceremony: photo 1, photo 2.
The university commencement ceremony is held in December and May. It is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at UWL. While students won't receive their hood at this ceremony, this event provides students an additional opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments. You can view last year's event to get a sense of what to expect. More information about the event is on the university commencement website.
The Graduate and Extended Learning ceremony is held in December and May. This event serves programs that do not host their own hooding ceremony. SAA students are encouraged not to attend the GEL ceremony in May in order to provide space for students in other programs. However, since SAA does not host a ceremony in December, both summer and fall graduates are invited to attend the December GEL ceremony.
Historically, parking for the Saturday graduation ceremony has been free. We will confirm this for the 2023 ceremony soon.
Previous Graduation Ceremonies
2021 Graduation Downloadable Program
Online: https://youtu.be/5P9BzHo828Y
UWRF Blended: https://youtu.be/6JRsO8wnhDU
On-Campus: https://youtu.be/2fnT32Xs5kI