SAVE THE DATE OF MAY 20, 2010
| Date: | Thursday, May 20, 2010 |
| Time: | 5:00 ~ Social Hour |
| 6:00 ~ Ceremony Place: Woodward Center |
On Thursday, May 20, 2010 the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education will host Westfield State College’s Graduate Commencement for students receiving Master’s Degrees and Certificates of Advanced Graduate Studies. The event will take place in the Woodward Center. The evening will begin with a reception from 5:00 to 6:00, refreshments will be available. The ceremony will start promptly at 6:00 and is expected to last approximately 90 minutes. Candidates will receive a formal invitation in April, however, are encouraged to save the date now.
The Graduate Commencement is a recognition of academic accomplishment and an opportunity
for graduates to celebrate with family, friends, and faculty. As part of the Commencement
proceedings, graduate students will have their academic hoods donned from the Dean
of the Graduate School and an invited faculty member. The hood is placed over the
graduate’s head, signifying the completion of the graduate program of study. Graduate
students will have the opportunity to briefly recognize those i
ndividuals who provided
support during their graduate education (optional). Please note that the ceremony
is longer than the attention spans of most small children. All faculty are invited
to attend this ceremony, however, only faculty who have been asked by a graduate
to don the hood are required to wear academic regalia. All graduates must wear academic
attire. A professional photographer will take pictures of each candidate as they
are hooded.
Graduate students who have received a Masters degree in August 2009, December 2009, or January 2010, as well as graduate students who will have fulfilled all requirements for their degree in May 2010 are encouraged to attend. Details will be sent to eligible students in early March. If you do not receive your detail letter by the end of March, please contact Louise Thompson at (413) 572-8024 or lthompson@wsc.ma.edu. If you intend to graduate in May, please be sure to file a graduation application.
Please nominate a faculty member for the John F. Nevins Outstanding Educator Award, to be given during the ceremony. Nominations may be made online at www.wsc.ma.edu, clicking on student resources and clicking again on Nevins Award Nomination. For more information on this you may contact Denise Browne at dbrowne@wsc.ma.edu.
Participation in the Graduate Commencement will mean you have completed all requirements outlined in your graduate program of study. You will adorn attire steeped in ancient tradition. Today’s academic dress has its origins in the clerical attire worn by medieval scholars. The hood at that time was meant as a head covering during bad weather. The hood evolved over the years, becoming a small cape attached to the robe, and finally a draping separated from the robe. It entered this country through King’s College (now Columbia) in colonial New York. The custom grew so rapidly that in 1894, an American Intercollegiate Commission standardized the style and color of robes and hoods. Whereas hooded regalia began as an academic dress for all students, it evolved to distinguish and signify the regalia of graduate students only. We look forward to witnessing you formally receive your academic hood and becoming a part of this distinguished tradition.