What Graduates Need to Know

Applying for Graduation

Students who wish to apply for candidacy for graduation must file a graduation card, or use the online Candidacy for Graduation Form, by December 1 for December completions and April 1 for May and August graduation. Students should meet with their faculty advisors first to avoid any unfortunate surprises in the spring; however, students are ultimately responsible for being aware of program requirements which are published in the UMA catalog. Information is also available through the Advising Center, College Offices, Academic Advisor, or University Center.

 

Commencement Exercises:  Where, When, What, and Who

Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013.  All degree candidates must report to the Fort Western Room in the North Wing of the Augusta Civic Center by 8:45 a.m.  At that time, line up for the Exercises will begin and last-minute "marching orders" will be given.  Commencement Exercises will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.; the length of Commencement is generally 2 hours.  It is suggested that you make arrangements ahead-of-time to meet your guests after the ceremony in a pre-arranged location. Graduating students needing accommodations should contact Sheila Crowley, Office of the Dean of Students, for more information at 621-3154/1-877-862-1234, ext. 3154, or e-mail crowley@maine.edu, no later than May 3. Childcare is not provided.  If you have small children attending commencement, please provide for care for them during the ceremony.

Commencement Speaker: Paul Doiron

Paul Doiron is an award-winning journalist and the author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels, including The Poacher's Son, which won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for an Edgar Award, an Anthony Award, a Macavity Award, and a Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and the Maine Literary Award for "Best Fiction of 2010." PopMatters named it to its Best Fiction of 2010 list.

His second book in the Mike Bowditch series, Trespasser, won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Bestseller and has been called a "masterpiece of high-octane narrative" by Booklist.

His third novel in the series, Bad Little Falls, was a Bookscan Bestseller and is a nominee for the RT Reviewers Choice Award. The fourth Mike Bowditch book, Massacre Pond, will be published in July 2013.

Paul is the editor in chief of "Down East: The Magazine of Maine," Down East Books, and DownEast.com. A native of Maine, he attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English, and he holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. Paul is a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine.

In 2012 he was named by the Bangor Daily News as one of a dozen Maine newsmakers who would bear watching.

Honorary Degree Recipient: Meredith Jones

Meredith Jones serves as the President and CEO of the Maine Community Foundation, a statewide public foundation with approximately $230 million in assets.  Since its creation in 1983, the foundation has awarded nearly $200 million in scholarships and grants to individuals and nonprofit organizations throughout the state and region. 

Before joining the Maine Community Foundation, Meredith was Director of Education and Training for the Maine Health Care Association.  She has also worked for the Maine Development Foundation where she led communication, strategic planning, programmatic, and fund development initiatives.  She was a member of the team that created Leadership Maine, the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, and the Policy Leaders Academy.

Meredith has also worked as a member of former Governor Angus King’s transition team, and as staff to the Maine legislature’s Committee on Public Utilities.  She is a member of the editorial review committee for the Maine Policy Review, the advisory council of the Margaret Chase Smith Center, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Advisory Council, Maine Campus Compact board, and past chair of the Maine Philanthropy Center Board.  In 2009 she was the recipient of the Deborah Morton award.  She is a graduate of Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH, the University of Maine at Augusta, and has completed post-graduate work at the University of Maine.

Meredith’s family roots go back more than 200 years in Washington County, Maine.  She is married and has two children and two grandchildren.

 

Caps and Gowns

Please visit the Graduation link on the UMA Bookstore website to order your cap and gown. Be sure to select the location where you would like to have your cap and gown delivered. Graduates' caps and gowns will be black with a blue and white tassel. Questions should be directed to the UMA Bookstore at 621-3467 or 1-800-621-0083. Graduates must have the black cap, gown, and tassel to participate in the Commencement Exercises.

 

Cords

Students who have achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.25 or higher at the end of Fall 2012 will be honored by wearing a gold braided cord around the necks of their gowns.  Cords will be distributed during line-up.  Those students who have completed the requirements for the Honors Program may be additionally recognized by medallions.

 

Diplomas

If you completed your degree requirements as of December 2012, your degree has been mailed to you.  Students who complete their requirements as of May 2013 will have their diploma mailed to their home by the end of July.  Students completing their requirements this summer will be mailed their diploma once the grade is on their transcript.

 

Commencement Protocol

• Because of the large number of folks attending Commencement, it is suggested that you make arrangements to meet your guests after the ceremony in a pre-arranged location.
• Cell phones and pagers should be turned off.  When this is not feasible due to urgent circumstances, the device should be set to vibrate or soft tone.  Graduates should refrain from texting.
• All graduates and their guests are asked to remain for the entire ceremony out of respect for all of the graduates.
• Please see Commencement Protocol (under What Guests Need to Know).

 

Receptions (Commencement and Programs)

1. Commencement Reception:  There will be a reception with light refreshments immediately following the ceremony on the UMA Campus Common (between the Randall Student Center and Jewett Hall).  Please join faculty, staff, guests, and your fellow graduates in this celebration. This is a five to ten-minute walk from the Civic Center or there is closer parking available in the Randall Student Center parking lot.
2. Library Services Reception: The Information and Library Services graduates, along with their family and friends, are invited to this annual event held in honor of the ILS students. Visit the ILS reception page for more information.
3. President's Reception: The President's Reception will be held on Friday, May 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Danforth Gallery, Augusta campus.  To RSVP and for more information, please email Heidi Strassberg-Bersani.

 

Alumni Organization

Once graduated, you become an alumnus of UMA.  Please complete the UMA Alumni Contact Form, which will ensure you receive information on the latest UMA news and alumni events. If you're interested in getting more involved in UMA alumni activities - and we hope you are - this form also gives you several options from which to choose.

 

Updating Your Addresses

Please be sure to notify the University of any changes in your mailing address and/or your e-mail address.  You can initiate this by contacting the UMA Enrollment Services Center at 621-3185 or 1-877-862-1234.  You can also change your address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses online by using MaineStreet.

 

FERPA/Confidentiality

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.  "If a student has requested that directory information not be released, no information will be released to any requestor, including insurance companies and prospective employers, without the expressed written consent of the student.  Nor will the student's name be included in the published Dean's List, student directory, commencement brochure or any other institutional publication or press release."  If a student wishes to remove this restriction, s/he must submit written authorization to the UMA Enrollment Services Center (621-3185 or 1-877-862-1234).

 

Directions

If coming from the south, take Interstate 95 north to exit 112.  Continue off ramp (from ramp, you will be bearing right).  At the first traffic light, turn right.  If coming from the north, take Interstate 95 south to exit 112.  At the end of the ramp, there is a light.  Take a left into the right-hand lane to continue straight.  At the third traffic light, turn right.  The Augusta Civic Center will be directly in front of you.  Facing the front of the Civic Center, the North Wing entrance is on the far right.  Graduates should enter through there; guests should enter through the main entrance of the Civic Center (middle doors).  Traffic will be heavy, so be sure to plan extra time for delays.

 

Mementos

Announcements

Traditional (non-personalized) graduation announcements are available from the UMA Bookstore on the Augusta Campus, and in the Student Life Office on the Bangor campus, for $1.35 each.  You may also purchase personalized announcements directly from Balfour, a company that offers official graduation products. 

 

Class Rings

UMA class rings are available through Balfour, a company that offers official graduation products.  Balfour offers many options and styles of high quality college jewelry.

 

Flowers

The Honors Program Student Association will be selling roses at Commencement at the tables located just inside the main doors of the Civic Center.

 

Imprinted UMA Items

UMA Bookstore staff will be located just outside the Civic Center auditorium selling imprinted memorabilia and souvenirs to celebrate your achievements.  Items available for purchase will include diploma frames, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, drinkware, and stuffed animals.

The UMA Bookstore, located in the Richard J. Randall Student Center, will be open on Graduation Day from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., where our full line of collegiate memorabilia will be available for purchase.

 

What Guests Need to Know

Commencement Exercises:  Where, When, What, and Who

• Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013, at the Augusta Civic Center.  Guests should enter the Civic Center through the main, front doors.
• Commencement Exercises will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.; the length of Commencement is generally 2 hours.  Guests will not be seated once the processional begins (when graduates march into the auditorium); late arrivals must wait until the processional ends.
• Because of the size of the crowd, it is suggested that you make arrangements ahead-of-time to meet your graduate after the ceremony in a pre-arranged location.

 

Commencement Protocol

The University of Maine at Augusta’s Commencement is an important, exciting, and proud day for the graduates, their families and friends, and for UMA’s faculty, administration, and staff.  It is the University’s desire that the tone of the commencement ceremony be one of honor, respect, and dignity.  Thus, behavior of the graduates and their guests should be consistent with the significance of the occasion.  To that end, we ask the following:

• The ceremony will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.  Guests should remain by their seats while the graduates enter.
• No one is permitted to stand in the aisles or to block the view of another audience member.
• Cell phones and pagers should be turned off.  When this is not feasible due to urgent circumstances, the device should be set to vibrate or soft tone.
• It is requested that guests stay in their seats and not place themselves in the ceremony by drawing attention away from the graduates, calling directly to them, using noisemakers or signs, or approaching the graduates to take pictures.
• Guests should remain by their seats until the graduates, faculty, and staff have all marched out of the auditorium.

 

Seating

• There is no limit on the number of guests per graduate.  Tickets are not required for admission.
• Guests will not be seated during the processional; late arrivals must wait until the processional ends before being seated.
• Elevators are available off of the main lobby to access the second level.

 

Seating for Guests with Disabilities

In order to have the ceremony go as smoothly as possible for guests, designated seating areas for individuals with disabilities are available. Family members and guests needing accommodations should contact Sheila Crowley, Office of the Dean of Students, for more information at 621-3154/1-877-862-1234, ext. 3154, or e-mail  crowley@maine.edu, no later than May 3.

Please note we are not able to seat entire families in the special seating designated areas; normally only one member of your party can accompany the guest requiring special seating.  In order to accommodate those who require this seating, additional guests must sit in the general seating areas.

Wheelchair accessible seating and special seating for guests with mobility impairments, the elderly, and people with hearing and visual disabilities is available.
A sign-language interpreter will be on the stage during the ceremony.  Folks needing the services of the interpreter should indicate this to an usher.

Disability seating will be on a "first-come, first-serve basis;" seating cannot be reserved.

Please arrive early.  We recommend that guests needing accommodations arrive by 9:30 a.m. to allow ample time to arrive, park at the Augusta Civic Center, and to find seating in the auditorium.  Handicapped parking is located near the Civic Center.

Upon arrival to the Civic Center auditorium, guests needing special seating should approach an usher.  Ushers wear UMA blue stoles and nametags and will assist guests to the appropriate, designated seating areas.

Wheelchairs are available to use at the Civic Center; however, they should be used to transport guests to their seats and immediately returned to the main lobby for others to use.

 

A Special Word about Photography

UMA is committed to ensuring that family and friends are able to hear the name of their graduate called and watch them receive their diploma as they cross the stage.

For families who desire to take a photo during the ceremony, we strongly request that you follow the rules below in order to minimize the disruption to others:

• Photos during the ceremony may only be taken from your seat or from the designated photography area located to the far right of the stage as indicated by the sign.
• Please do not block the view of other guests.
• Please be as quiet as possible as you move to take a photo, most especially if you are sitting in the metal bleachers.

Please also know that there are three excellent alternatives to taking your own photos during the ceremony:

• Arrangements have been made for professional photographers from Lifetouch to take a picture of each graduate as s/he receives their diploma and after crossing the stage. Several photo packages will be available at reasonable prices.  Online access to the photos will be available one week after the ceremony at http://www.events.lifetouch.com/.    
• Families are welcome to take photos in front of the podium following the ceremony.
• A special photography area has been set up in front of the Gazebo on the Commons, where the Commencement Reception will be held for all graduates and their families.

 

Web Casting

A live webcast of the Saturday, May 11th Commencement will be available.

 

Reception

There will be a reception with light refreshments immediately following the ceremony on the UMA Campus Common (between the Randall Student Center and Jewett Hall).  Please join your graduate, faculty, staff, and other guests in this celebration.  This is a five to ten-minute walk from the Civic Center or there is closer parking available in the Randall Student Center parking lot.

 

Directions

See Directions, above

 

Parking

The Augusta Civic Center has several parking lots that provide free parking.
A limited amount of handicapped parking is available in front of the Civic Center and in the side parking areas.  Family and friends who cannot walk a distance can be dropped off at the front of the Civic Center. Floor seating is available for those needing accommodations (please see Seating for Guests with Disabilities).  Elevators are available off the main lobby to access the second level.

 

Area Lodging

Please visit the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce for great information on local lodging options, as well as a listing of area restaurants, shopping facilities, attractions, and recreational activities.

 

What Faculty and Staff Need to Know

Where and When

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend graduation and to march in the commencement exercises. 

• Saturday, May 11, 2013
• Augusta Civic Center
• Exercises begin at 10:00 a.m. and will run until about 12:00 noon; reception to immediately follow. 
• Faculty and staff should report to Civic Center by no later than 9:15 a.m.

 

 RSVP for Commencement

So that we plan appropriately for commencement seating, please RSVP to Ann Corbett by Friday, May 3rd.

 

 Robing Information

On May 11th,  you should report to the Civic Center's Androscoggin/Aroostook/Cumberland Rooms no later than 9:15 a.m. to robe.  If you placed an order for a cap, gown, or hood, it will be available at the Bookstore by May 4th.  Payment for a hood is required when you pick it up.  The Bookstore will be open graduation day at 8:00 a.m. for those who are unable to pick up your regalia earlier.  If you have not yet placed an order for a cap and gown, it may not be too late.  Please contact Jerry Garthoff in the Bookstore at 621-3067 as soon as possible.

 

Reception

There will be a reception on the campus Green immediately following the commencement exercises.  If the weather is inclement, the reception will be held in the Randall Student Center. 

 

 A Special Note for Faculty

Because your presence is so important to our students and their families and friends, we hope you will make every effort to attend this year's exercises, as well as the reception afterwards.  Graduates do look forward to seeing you and introducing you to their family and friends.  

Thank you for your commitment to this joyous celebration of the University's graduates.