Graduate Commencement Guide

Invitation distribution begins Friday, May 1. Invitations will be available for pick-up at the Blue and Gold Campus Bookstore Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Each graduate is provided with a maximum of 10 tickets. If you are having your regalia shipped, your invitations and tickets will be included in the package. Law graduates will pick up their tickets and invitations in the Law Records office starting May 1.

May 16-20 Bookstore Hours

The bookstore will be open Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Caps and gowns will be available at the Blue and Gold Campus Bookstore starting May 1. Regalia order forms were emailed to all eligible graduates.

May 16-20 Bookstore Hours

The bookstore will be open Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Graduates are advised to report to the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center between 1:00 and 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. They should enter the campus by way of the access road next to the Church in the Acres on Wilbraham Road and enter the building through the rear door of the Multipurpose Room. Parking is available in the lot behind the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center. Graduating seniors must check in and should be dressed in their caps and gowns, as well as appropriate attire. Only graduates who check-in will have their names read during the ceremony. There will be no rehearsal.

As a courtesy to all graduates and their families, please plan to remain throughout the entire Commencement proceedings, which generally run 2 hours.

Graduates will receive a digital download of their official diploma following the ceremony, as well as a diploma cover on stage. Diplomas will be mailed to the graduates’ address on file within 3-4 weeks.

Photographs will be taken of each graduate by Legacy Studios as they receive congratulations from President Johnson.

As soon as your Commencement photos are processed, graduates and their families will be able to view and purchase their photos online.

Simply visit https://vando.imagequix.com/H9WFF9C, use the student's WNE email address as the online code, and then enter your own email address for access.

Guests must enter through the main entrance of the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center and must have a ticket to enter. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. The ceremony will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m. and will last approximately 2 hours. Seating will be in chairs, not bleachers.

The deadline for settling all accounts at Enrollment Services in order to receive a diploma after Commencement is Thursday, May 19, 2022.

All August 2021, October 2021, February 2022, and May 2022 graduates are eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremony. Graduates are asked to notify Enrollment Services at 413-796-2080 immediately if they change their mind about participating in the Commencement ceremony.

Graduates who will be within six credits of graduation as of May 22, 2022, may be eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremony. A Participation Request Form must be sent to the Dean's office prior to March 30, 2022.

Reasonable accommodations are available upon request for people with disabilities for all WNE-sponsored graduation activities and Commencement day. If you are a graduating student with a disability or will have a guest with a disability present, please request accommodations through the office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) before April 1, 2022, by emailing your request to accessibility@wne.edu.

Accessible parking near the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center is limited to vehicles with designated license plates or placards. Elderly guests may be dropped off in front of the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center. The University does not provide wheelchairs for guests.

Assisted listening devices are available for use during Commencement. Please contact Bill Arnold, Senior Manager of Media Services, at 413-782-1639 to reserve a device.

Parking is available at various locations on campus. Guests will be directed to parking areas as they approach campus. As a convenience to guests, shuttle service vans circle the outer campus parking lots on a continuing basis for one hour before and one hour after the ceremony.

For families traveling, we are pleased to open our “home” to our families by making accommodations available in our air-conditioned Commonwealth Hall residence facility the night of Saturday, May 21, 2022. The fee is $80 per room. Each room has two single beds. Check-in will be conducted in the Commonwealth Hall lobby from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and 5:00-7:00 p.m. Check-out will be Sunday from 12:00 noon-2:00 p.m. and 4:30-6:00 p.m.

The Commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the University website starting at 2:00 p.m. on May 22, 2022, at wne.edu/commencement.