College Ten Commencement

The College Ten Commencement Ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 1:30pm in the West Field.

Graduate check in will be at 12pm in the Oakes Learning Center.
The West Field will open for guest seating at 12:30pm.



The Ten Steps to Commencement at College Ten*

Congratulations, you're almost done! You are exactly ten steps away from being finished. Carefully read ALL of the following steps and get a head start!

Step 1
Know the difference between Graduation and Commencement.

Graduation is the formal process of notifying the university (through your student portal) that you intend to complete your degree by a specific quarter (e.g. Spring 2012). Commencement is the ceremony at which your academic degree will be conferred in front of your family and friends.

Please Note: Graduation and commencement are two different processes. You must Apply to Graduate and Register to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

Step 2
Check your degree completion requirements for Graduation.

Check in with your department advisor to have your major requirements reviewed. Check your portal to make sure you have reviewed all degree requirements outside your major (GE credits, writing component, etc.). Be sure to consult with an academic advisor at your college if there are discrepancies, or if you have questions about graduation requirements.

Step 3
Apply to Graduate.

You can apply for graduation online via your student portal. For detailed instructions, go here. The deadline to apply for Spring Quarter is May 2nd. If you plan to graduate in the 2012 Summer Session, the application period is June 25th through August 3rd. The graduation application dates for Fall Quarter 2012 have not yet been determined.

Step 4
Register for the College Ten Commencement Ceremony.

Click here to register for the College Ten Commencement Ceremony. The deadline is Sunday, May 20th.

Eligibility
You must have at least 150 credits completed by the end of Winter Quarter 2012 to be eligible to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. All students who register for the College Ten Commencement Ceremony will have their records reviewed for eligibility. Ineligible students will be notified in May.

Not a College Ten Student?
College Nine students may participate in the College Ten Commencement Ceremony simply by registering using the link above.

If you are not a College Nine or College Ten student but are interested in participating in the College Ten Commencement Ceremony you can provisionally register using the link above. If your request to participate is approved, you must come to the College Nine & Ten Programs & Activities Office and pay the $50 non-affiliate fee to complete the process. We accept checks payable to the UC Regents. For more information, contact the College Nine & Ten Assistant CPC, Tim Barbour (acpc910@ucsc.edu). The deadline to do so is April 22nd. Please note that space is limited and participation is not guaranteed.

Request an American Sign Language interpreter for your guests or yourself.
If you or your guests will need an American Sign Language interpreter at the ceremony, you must indicate "Yes" on the registration form above. To accommodate the scheduling of interpreters you must submit your registration by Sunday, May 20th.

Step 5
Check your Public Information Status

Very Important, Please Read Carefully.
All students have a "Public Information" status (a.k.a Directory Restriction, FERPA, or NRI) in their student portal. If your status is set to Restricted as of midnight on Sunday, May 20th, 2012, then College Ten is not legally allowed to print your name in the Commencement Program, unless you edit your "Public Information Restrictions" by selecting "Commencement Prog & Honors List" under the "Release of Publication" section in your student portal. To check your NRI status, go to your student portal. For detailed instructions on adjusting your privacy settings, click here.

Step 6
Order your Cap & Gown.

The Grad Center at the Bay Tree Bookstore will open with the Grad Fair April 17th – 20th, 8:30am to 5:30pm. Representatives will be on-site to assist students with information needed to order class rings, diploma frames, announcements and cap & gown orders from 10:00am to 4:00pm. There will be a professional photographer on-site for graduation portraits from 10:00am to 4:00pm as well.

The Grad Center will remain open through June 8th, Monday –Friday, 9:00am -4:00pm. You can also access it on line at the Bay Tree Bookstore Graduation Center website. You are encouraged to place your orders early, by April 27th if possible.

Caps & Gowns are optional for Commencement Ceremony participants. Although there is an option to rent or buy a baccalaureate hood, College Nine will not "hood" graduates during the ceremony.

Cap & Gown distribution will run June 11th – 15th, 8:30am – 5:30pm, June 16th, 8:30am – 5:00pm, and June 17th, 8:30am – 2:00pm.

There will be a photographer on-site again June 11th – 15th, from 10:00am – 4:00pm, for anyone still interested in graduation portraits who missed their opportunity during the Grad Fair.

The Bay Tree Bookstore will close on June 17th at 2:00pm.

Gowns and hoods should be returned immediately following the ceremony at the designated on-site drop-off station, or at the Bay Tree Bookstore on Saturday & Sunday. Students who don’t return their regalia, they will be billed for replacement.

Step 7
Be a student speaker at the Commencement Ceremony or participate in the selection process.

If you are interested in becoming a student speaker at the College Ten Commencement Ceremony, submit your proposed speech to Jessica Lawrence.

When drafting your speech, consider the following criteria:

  1. Your speech should be no longer than five minutes (between 750-1000 words).
  2. Your speech should reflect College Ten's intellectual theme of Social Justice and Community.
  3. Your speech may reflect your experiences as a student at College Ten.  For example, some prior student speakers have referred to their participation in College Ten co-curricular programs, service learning, or Education Abroad.  (However, your speech may additionally refer to other UCSC experiences outside of College Ten.)
  4. The speech should not sound too self-focused.  Please frame your experiences so that other students can relate to them.
  5. The speeches will be evaluated based on content and writing quality.

The deadline for submitting speeches is Friday, April 27th. Send your proposed speech as a Word document. Be sure to include your name, email address and college affiliation. Please use "College Ten Student Commencement Speech" as the subject heading of your email.

Provost Shapiro will screen the applications.  Finalists will be invited to deliver their speeches during the second week of May to the provost and a selection committee composed of students and staff.  The committee will advise the provost, who will make the final decision.

If you would like to participate in the student speaker selection process, contact Jessica Lawrence for more information. The deadline for expressing interest is Friday, April 27th.

Step 8
Pick up your Commencement Parking Permits.

During Commencement weekend, parking will be extremely limited and traffic will be heavy. Each registered participant will receive only two (2) parking permits for the day - NO EXCEPTIONS.  Passes can be picked up at the College Nine & Ten Programs & Activities Office, located in the Recreation Lounge beginning Tuesday, June 5th. We strongly recommend you plan to carpool, shuttle, use public transportation and, most of all, plan ahead.

You must show a valid ID (either a Student ID or driver's license) to receive your parking permits.

You may exchange one standard permit for a disabled parking permit if you or your guest need one. Commencement weekend disabled parking passes are only valid in conjunction with a state issued disabled parking placard or license plate.

Please note: Regular parking passes are not valid during Commencement weekend.

Parking passes must be placed on the dashboard of the vehicle, clearly visible to staff directing traffic & parking. Follow the "West Side Ceremonies" and "College Ten" signs. Parking officials will direct cars to the appropriate lots. Guests may walk or take shuttles to the ceremony site at the Lower West Field. For additional information about parking & transportation please visit the UCSC Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) website.

Step 9
Attend the Commencement Ceremony rehearsal.

A brief commencement rehearsal will be held on Friday June 15th, time TBA. Meet at the Oakes Upper Lawn. We will walk through the ceremony procedures and answer any last minute questions. All those walking in the ceremony are expected to attend the rehearsal.

Step 10
Congratulations! You did it! See you at rehearsal!

*Updated March 27, 2012

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use