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:

4:00 p.m.

Where to Go:

• Master's ceremony: Go to the green room of the Bryce Jordan Center.
• Doctoral ceremony: Use the event entrance (see photo below), then go to the visiting team locker room (room 165).

Outside of Pegula Ice Arena

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.

Commencement Day Procedures:

Arrival Time: 3:30 p.m.

Where to Go: Faculty escorts and doctoral candidates should enter Pegula Ice Arena in Gate C (see photo below) and you will be directed from there to the community ice rink.

Seating will be by college. Students in intercollege programs will be seated in the college of the adviser.

Hooding on Stage:

Starting in the spring 2025 semester, faculty escorts will hood their candidate on stage. Before the ceremony begins, University Marshals will provide hooding instructions, so please listen to them carefully. General instructions are as follows:

1. When directed by University Marshals, candidates and their escorts will go to the stage.
2. Students will give their commencement card to the staff.
3. As each candidate is announced by name and program, they will walk across the stage accompanied by their faculty escort. The escort will step onto a wooden platform to perform the hooding.
4. After the hooding, both the faculty escort and the graduate will continue across the stage. Faculty will then be guided to their designated seats, while graduates will be directed to the photography area.

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.

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.