COMMENCEMENT 2024

GRADATION/APPLICATION/STATUS

How do I apply to graduate?

• Log into my.ctstate.edu

• In the Student Self-Service card you will see the link Apply for Graduation. The deadline to apply for May graduation is April 15th (to be in the Commencement program and to participate in the Commencement ceremony).

• The deadline to apply for August graduation is August 15th.

How do I confirm that I am graduating?

After submitting the graduation application, you will receive emails from a Degree Auditor. These emails will provide information regarding what needs to be completed to be eligible to graduate.

NOTE: All emails are sent to your college email address: Please check it regularly.

If I graduated in December, or will graduate in August, can I attend the May commencement ceremony as a graduate?

Yes. You are welcome to attend and participate in the May commencement ceremony.

Will I receive an email with information about the ceremony?

Yes. You will receive an email in early May with details regarding the ceremony. An invitation will also be mailed to your home.

NOTE: All emails are sent to your college email address: Please check it regularly.

REGALIA

How do I pick up my regalia? When is the deadline?

Regalia can be picked up in our College Bookstore located on the second floor of Greenwoods Hall, 119 North Main Street, Monday through Thursday, May 6 through22, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please be aware that the bookstore closes for lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays (times vary) so please call 860-379-6226 before coming in during lunchtime hours on those days. Information regarding regalia will be included in the email that will be sent to your student email account in early May.

How much does my regalia cost?

Regalia is free for students who are graduating; (paid for by CT State Northwestern).

Whom do I ask if I have questions about my regalia?

Contact the Director of Student Activities, Andrew Wetmore, at awetmore@nwcc.edu.

Commencement Ceremony

How many guests can I bring to the commencement ceremony? Will I need tickets for my guests?

You can bring up to eight guests. No tickets are required.

What time should I arrive for commencement if I am a student?

Commencement starts promptly at 6 p.m. You should arrive no later than 5:30 p.m.

Where do I park when I arrive?

There are several municipal parking areas and local business lots in downtown Torrington. Plan ahead – as parking could be limited. NOTE: Main Street in front of the theatre will be closed off to all traffic for Commencement.

Where do I go when I arrive at the theater?

You should proceed to the studio theater lobby, which is adjacent to the main stage. There will be theater personnel to guide you. You must check-in when you arrive to receive your name and degree card and any other information you may need. You will prepare for the procession line-up in this area as well.

What time can my guests enter the theatre?

The house does not open to guests until 5:30 p.m. Guests will not be allowed in the theatre until that time. They are allowed to wait in the theater lobby if they arrive early. Seating for guests is not reserved; first-come, first-serve.

Will photos and/or videos be taken at the ceremony?

1) There will be a professional photographer available to take two photos when graduates are on stage; one with the president and one individual shot at the opposite side of the stage. If you are interested in the photography service, you have to sign up by May 20. For more information, please look on our website or contact jessica.maiolo@ctstate.edu 860.738.6300. Any purchase costs of photographs bought through this service after the event are the responsibility of the graduates.

2) CT State Northwestern will have a staff member taking random and candid photos and/or videos before, during, and after the ceremony at the theater for CT State marketing and publicity only. These photographs will not be available for purchase. Please see the language below concerning CT State marketing policy regarding photography and video recording at public events.

CT State’s Strategic Marketing and Communications department, as well as other areas of the college, including individual campuses, often take photos and videos of students, faculty and staff, visitors, and event attendees. These images are taken in public spaces, classrooms, and labs. CT State reserves the right to use these photographs/videos as part of its publicity and marketing efforts. Students who enroll in CT State courses, and community members attending CT State events at any location, do so with the understanding that these images might include them and might be used in college publications, both printed and electronic; social media; print and digital advertising; direct mail; electronic media, and other forms of promotion.

What if I, or one of my guests, require seating accommodations?

Please contact Rebecca Russo at rrusso@nwcc.edu.

How will we know where to sit?

Student marshals will guide graduates to their seats during the procession and out of the theater during the recession after the ceremony is over. NOTE: If you require accessible seating, the marshals will guide you as well.

How long is the ceremony?

You should expect the ceremony to last one and half to two hours long.

What is the procedure for walking on stage?

Student marshals will guide graduates by row to stand and then proceed to the front of the stage, where they will come up on stage one at a time. Graduates will hand their name/degree card to the Dean at the first podium to be read off. Graduates will then walk across the stage, receiving their degree or certificate cover and congratulations from the president. (If a graduate has registered with the professional photographer, the first photo will be taken then.) Graduates will continue across the stage receiving congratulations to the opposite side of the stage where they will exit and be assisted by the marshals to return to their seats. (If they have registered with the professional photographer, the second photo will be taken at this side of the stage before they exit.)

Will I receive my diploma that night?

No – diplomas and certificates will not be handed out during the commencement ceremony. Your diploma and/or certificate will be available mid-summer. Graduates will receive an email when diplomas have arrived on campus and are available for pick-up in the One Stop Enrollment Center located on the second floor in Greenwoods Hall, 119 North Main Street. Be sure to continue checking your college email account!

FOR GRADUATES NOT ATTENDING COMMENCEMENT

How do I receive my diploma if I am not attending the graduation ceremony?

Your diploma and/or certificate will be available mid-summer. Graduates will receive an email when diplomas have arrived on campus and are available for pick-up in the One Stop Enrollment Center located on the second floor in Greenwoods Hall, 119 North Main Street. Be sure to continue checking your college email account!

Commencement is a celebratory occasion and we should respect the hard work of our graduates, as well as their families and friends in attendance. Any individual or group engaging in activity that interrupts or disrupts the normal progression of the ceremonies is not permitted and anyone engaging in that behavior will be asked to leave the event. Failure to leave may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the college. Disruptive behaviors and/or refusing to leave when ordered may result in police action and subsequent criminal charges.