Commencement Day: What to Expect
Arrive at the Westchester County Center 90 minutes before the undergrad or graduate ceremony begins. The undergraduate ceremony begins at 11 AM and the graduate ceremony at 4 PM.
With your gown, cap (+tassel), and hood, when you enter the County Center, turn left and go directly downstairs where staff members will assist you in putting your hood on correctly. Go to the appropriate table according to your last name (marked alphabetically from "A to Z") to pick up 2 index cards with your name on each one.
The maximum number of tickets allowed is four. The student does not need a ticket.
Please note: Attendance of young children is discouraged. If they attend they will need a ticket. Strollers will not be allowed in the County Center.
The Graduation Ceremony:
Please log on to http://mercy.edu/commencement for details about the Commencement Day program.
During the ceremony:
You will hand one card to a staff member before you proceed up the stairs to the stage to receive your degree. That card is for Chappell Studios whose photographer will take your photo as President Louise Feroe hands you the Commencement scroll.
You will hand the second card to the speaker at the microphone who will read your name as you walk to the middle of the stage to shake hands with Dr. Feroe.
At the appropriate time before the grads march upstairs to the auditorium, a speaker will call the Associate Degree recipients, the Bachelor Degree recipients, or the various Master Degree recipients to line up.
There will be two lines marching into the auditorium lead by a bagpipe band. One line will process to the seats to the left; the other to the seats to the right. Please stand for the National Anthem.
Give anything you will not want to carry (pocketbooks, flowers, etc) to your family members who can proceed inside to find a seat. It is appropriate for men to wear a shirt and tie. Women should wear comfortable shoes to march across the stage! Be sure to take your gown out of the plastic bag after you purchase it so it will not be wrinkled on the day of Commencement!
Accommodations for the Handicapped:
If a graduate or his/her guest need special arrangements for parking, for receiving the degree or for handicapped seating, contact Monica Jackson at 914.674.7523 or see her at the Dobbs Ferry Campus, Main Builing, room #108, soon as possible.
DURING THE CEREMONY (WHICH LASTS FROM 1 HOUR TO 1 ½ HOURS), ALL DIRECTIVES WILL BE GIVEN FROM THE PODIUM.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FELLOW GRADUATES, SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION, BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS, AND ENJOY THE CEREMONY!
* Please be advised that any Mercy College student participating in a commencement ceremony may be photographed during the event and that these photos may be used by Mercy College for pubicity, marketing, and other purposes. Students who do not consent to having their images used by Mercy College shoud not attend this event.
The College will also be taking orders for a DVD of the ceremony at a cost of $19.95. To receive a copy please send a check or money order to: Mercy College, 555 Broadway#GMH31, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522, Attention: Louis Grasso. Please indicate which ceremony video is being ordered (undergraduate or graduate). Please make sure that your address and phone number are on your check.
