For Faculty

To make sure we have a strong faculty-at-large representation from all academic units, this semester we will be asking faculty to register in advance. Any faculty attending the ceremony can register here.

Ideally, each graduate program should have a faculty member in attendance. These representatives, known as Faculty-At-Large or Robed Faculty, wear the traditional academic regalia and march in the processional and recessional. They must be faculty members who are not escorting doctoral candidates.

Arrival Time: Faculty-At-Large will gather at either the Bryce Jordan Center greenroom or Pegula Ice Arena, depending on the ceremony they're attending, 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony for instructions and preparation.

A doctoral candidate must be escorted by a member of the graduate faculty.

If you advise a doctoral candidate who is scheduled to receive their degree, you should ask the candidate if they will be attending the ceremony. If attending, you will need academic regalia representative of your highest earned degree. If you are unable to attend, please make arrangements for another member of the committee to take your place.

Procedures for day of commencement:

1. Advisers (faculty escorts) and doctoral candidates should report to the Auxiliary Gym of the Bryce Jordan Center one hour prior to the start of the ceremony and find the area designated for the student's college (interdisciplinary candidates will be seated in the college of the advisor).
2. University Marshals will direct the processional. Seating will be by college. Please listen to the instructions and assist the Marshals in any way you can.
3. At the conclusion of the conferring of master’s degrees, all doctoral candidates and their escorts will rise. Escorts will be instructed to hood the candidates. After the hooding, faculty escorts will be seated while the University Marshals direct the doctoral candidate to the stage platform.
4. The candidate will then proceed across the stage platform, exit, and return to their seats.

Faculty attending commencement must be in regalia. To order this:

1. Order regalia from the Penn State Bookstore website by the deadline, March 28.
   
2. Complete this Faculty Regalia form and email it to Jennifer Stahl from the Penn State Bookstore at jjs497@psu.edu.

Bryce Jordan Center Commencement Parking Interactive Map

General parking will be available in Stadium West and Jordan East. Guests should enter Gates A, B, or C. Degree candidates should enter Gate B, Portal 15. There is no fee for parking.

ADA Parking: Parking for guests with disabilities is available. Parking attendants will be on duty to guide guests to the appropriate areas. The driver may drop the passenger off at the Founders Lounge entrance and then park the vehicle. A valid, state-issued ADA placard or license plate is required for ADA parking, and there is no fee for parking. For an ADA access map of campus, visit the ADA Access Interactive Map. Parking in these lots is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Hooding Process

View this video to be ready to hood your candidate when it’s time during the ceremony:

After the hooding, faculty escorts will be seated while the University Marshals direct the doctoral candidate to the stage platform.

Bryce Jordan Center Bag Policy: In line with the best practices at major entertainment venues, the Bryce Jordan Center utilizes walk-through metal detectors at all entry gates and restrictions on the size and type of bag that may be carried into the arena for all events. Please review the Bryce Jordan's Center Bag Policy. For more specific guidance, visit the A-Z Guide.

Pegula Bag Policy: In line with the best practices at major entertainment venues, the Pegula Ice Arena utilizes walk-through metal detectors at all entry gates and restrictions on the size and type of bag that may be carried into the arena for all events. Please review Pegula Ice Arena's Bag Policy. In addition to the bag policy, Pegula Ice Arena prohibits signs and helium balloons inside the facility.