Photos provided by Chappell Studios

Spring 2009

Commencement Notes in a Nutshell Commencement Parking & On-Campus Transportation Who May Participate in Commencement? Academic & Administrative Responsibilities Dates & Deadlines 2009 Commencement Form
	David E. Jones, Provost

Porter College Commencement

Saturday, June 13, 2009
9:00 am
Lower West Field (Oakes Lawn)

The commencement ceremony at Porter is one of the finest of Porter traditions. It is truly a Porter event: a community celebration of you and your time here. Faculty and graduates enter and are seated on the Quad to a fanfare. The ceremony has traditionally included a keynote speaker, faculty and student speakers, awarding of College recognition awards, and of course, the acceptance of your “diploma.” (For information about your OFFICIAL diploma see below.) The ceremony is followed by a reception on the meadow facing the ocean. Seating at the ceremony is limited, and early arrival of your guests is recommended.

Porter College wishes to make its programs and events accessible. If you or your guests have special needs, or to reserve Handicapped Parking at the College, please contact Porter Activities at (831) 459-2857 by May 27.

Commencement Notes in a Nutshell

Register to participate in the Porter College Ceremony by completing the 2009 Commencement Form on this page. Apply to graduate (to receive the official University Diploma) with the Registrar's Office via your Student Portal.

Parking is by PERMIT ONLY - two per Graduate. Please see Commencement Parking & On-Campus Transportation below.

"Day of" instruction sheet, your six (6) guest tickets** and parking permits may be picked up from the Porter College Activities Office, Room D-143, during business hours Wednesday, May 20 through Thursday, June 11.

Our Commencement Ceremony begins at 9:00 am and will last approximately two hours. Please do not arrive before 8:00 am as we will be busy with final touches and will not be able to check in grads or assist guests before that time.

Dress in layers and expect a typical June morning: we may start the ceremony under an overcast sky and finish beneath one of brilliant blue. The Lower West Field (Oakes Lawn) is not "heels" friendly. Stiletto heels are not recommended.

We are the first of three ceremonies to be held on the Lower West Field (Oakes Lawn). We would greatly appreciate your assistance by leaving the field shortly after the ceremony so that we may clean and straighten the seating prior to the next ceremony.

Please contact the Porter Activities Office, 831-459-2857, or Porter_Activities@ucsc.edu. Watch for notice information from our office with the subject line of "2009 - Porter College Commencement Information."

** We expect to be able to accommodate those Grads with more than six guests; however, we ask that large parties please respect the six ticket limit when choosing seats.

Commencement Parking & On-Campus Transportation

Each registered Graduate will receive two (2) parking passes for the day. Passes may be picked up from the Porter Activities Office (D-143) when you pickup your ceremony tickets between Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, June 11.

Parking passes must be placed on the dashboard of the vehicle, visibile to staff directing traffic and parking. Follow the "West Side Ceremonies" and "Porter College" signs. Parking officials will direct cars to the appropriate lots. General Guest parking for the Porter College Commencement Ceremony is located in the Performing Arts Parking lot and the Core West Parking Structure. Guests may take the short walk along the paved path from the Performing Arts lot or take shuttles to the cremony site at the Lower West Field (Oakes Lawn).

There is a limited amount of parking for guests with disabilities and disability vans/shuttles will be available throughout the day for transportation assisstance between the parking lots and ceremoney site. There is limited parking for guests with disabilities in the West Remote parking lot. Please request the Disability Parking permit when you register for the ceremony.

With ten colleges, plus academic programs and student organizations hosting ceremonies over the Commencement weekend, traffic on campus will be unusually heavy and parking will be very limitied. We recommend that you plan to carpool, shuttle, use public transportation, and, most of all, plan ahead.

For additional information about parking and transportation, including shuttles between parking structures/lots and ceremony locations, please visit the UCSC Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) website. Commencement related information will be posted on the TAPS website during the Spring Quarter.

Who May Participate?

Any Porter College student who is a senior may participate in the Commencement ceremony. Whether you officially graduate Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, or if you still have to complete your thesis or orals, or if you just didn’t get your “Announcement of Candidacy” filed, you may still participate in the event. However, only those students who have completed all paperwork and are recognized by the Registrar’s Office as having done so will find their names automatically in the program. Any students who have filed NRI (non-release of information) cannot have their names printed in the program. Participants will be listed with the quarter they intend to graduate.

Non-Porter students wishing to walk with Porter: there is a fee of $75 to participate in Porter ceremony. This covers the costs of guest seating, reception following the ceremony, and Senior Dinner.

Caps and Gowns are not required, but most students choose to wear cap & gown. Commencement attire and Commencement announcements will be available through Bay Tree Bookstore beginning in early April. Check your college mailbox for information.

Your Academic & Administrative Responsibilities

The information in this section concerns OFFICIALLY graduating seniors from UCSC. By completing the following steps you will receive that long awaited diploma in the mail. It will arrive a few months after the quarter for which you announced your candidacy. It does not affect your participation in the Commencement ceremony.

Check Your Degree Completion Requirements

Check in with your department advisor to make sure you have fulfilled your major requirements. Be sure the board has officially approved any thesis work, field study credit, or advanced standing transfer credit you may wish to apply to your major. If you are completing an individual major, contact the chairperson of your committee to make sure that your major requirements will be completed by your announced graduation date. Check your academic record to insure that it reflects the appropriate major. If not, submit a change of major petition to the Registrar's Office as soon as possible.

Check with your Student Portal (MyUCSC) to make sure you have satisfied all degree requirements outside of your major (GE's completed, Entry-Level Writing, American History and Institutions requirements satisfied, completion of 180 credits, no more than 25% of your credits at UCSC taken for P/NP, minimum of 2.0 GPA, and 35 of last 45 credits taken at UCSC). If you have not satisfied all degree requirements, you may need to schedule your candidacy for a later quarter. Your may still participate in ceremonies as long as you complete all degree requirements by the end of fall 2009.

Note: Bachelor Degree Requirements can be found at http://reg.ucsc.edu/Navigator

* If you have any difficulties with the information on the Student Portal, please go to the main Porter College Office (or call 831-459-2273) to make arrangements to meet with a Porter Academic Advisor.

Declare your Graduation intentions to UCSC. You must apply for graduation to receive a diploma.

Apply for graduation online through the Student Portal (MyUCSC) in the quarter you are completing your graduation requirements by the deadline date (refer to Dates and Deadlines below for quarterly deadlines to apply for graduation).

• We are pleased to announce that undergraduates are no longer required to apply to graduate in person at the Office of the Registrar. If you are currently enrolled and you have not previously applied, you may apply online via MyUCSC.

• If you have applied to graduate in a previous term or cannot access the Apply to Graduate link via MyUCSC, please refer to the information and application form online at: http://reg.ucsc.edu/graduation_announcerequest.htm

The Office of the Registrar checks to see that all University, Campus, and major requirements are met before certifying graduation. Your board of studies submits a list of course requirements that you have taken to fulfill the major and a statement about whether you have passed the senior thesis, comprehensive, exam, or other specified requirements. If deficiencies are found in a preliminary check, you will be notified of the specific requirements you have not met. It is your responsibility to fulfill these prior to graduation. If you have an incomplete in a course that is required you will not be able to receive your diploma until you have made it up. You will also need to re-file the "Announcement of Candidacy" form at the Office of the Registrar.

Commencement Registration

Registration for Commencement is now open for the 2009 Porter College Commencement.

Dates & Deadlines

File For Candidacy (Registrar) Deadlines: Fall: October 24, 2008; Winter: February 6, 2009; Spring: April 29, 2009; Summer: July 31, 2009.

Let the College Know:2009 Commencement form is now available. Any questions? Call 459-2857 or e-mail porter_activities@ucsc.edu.

Porter Commencement Committee: Help plan and implement your graduation program and social events surrounding it! Any Porter senior may participate. Dates for the Porter Commencement Committee to be determined.

Commencement Speeches: Would you like to speak at graduation?
Submit an outline or draft of a 3-5 minute speech or reading that will appeal to a general audience, or a specific segments of that audience, that includes families, students, grads, and faculty. A student/staff/faculty committee will be selecting from outline submissions. Deadline to apply at Porter Activities (D-143) is Friday May 1, 2009. You will be asked to "audition" following the selection of finalists. If you have questions or would like to serve on the selection committee call Porter Activities at 459-2857.

Order Cap & Gown/ Formal Announcements: if you plan to use them (Bay Tree Bookstore) Reservations start in April.

Graduation Pictures: Graduates, pre-register your email along with friends and family email addresses and Graduation Images will contact them just as soon as your photos are available for online viewing and ordering. The URL is http://www.gradimages.com/Register.cfm.