About Commencement 2009
Information has not yet been updated for 2010
Commencement Information
This once-a-year event honors graduates of Development Studies, International and Area Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies and PEIS. This is a major right of passage and milestone, and one of the few ceremonies that people have in their lives. We hope you can join us for this auspicious occasion.
Students who have completed or will complete their course work for the following
semesters are welcome to participate in the commencement ceremony and should
register (deadline April 15th) for Commencement.
- Summer 2008
- Fall 2008
- Spring 2009
- Summer 2009
- Fall 2009
Degree List vs. Commencement List
The degree list and commencement list are two separate events.
The Degree List is how you signal the university that you are
ready to graduate and are in the process of completing your final courses for
your degree. In order to graduate, you must declare your candidacy by the
beginning of the semester you expect to complete all of your degree
requirements (e.g., university, college, major(s), minor). This is done through TeleBEARS when
you register for your final semester's classes. Undergraduates who are finishing
all degree requirements this spring should also put their names on the Spring
Degree List by using TeleBears before the first day of the semester or via petition
until March 14.
The Commencement List is how you inform your depart-ment that
you are planning to attend Commencement. Commencement is a celebratory ritual
for you and your family of the completion (or near completion) of your college
years. It is a ceremony held only in May that students participate in and receive
a scroll, which symbolically represents a diploma. You do not receive a diploma
at Commencement.
The
deadline to register to participate in commencement is April
15.
**Your
name will not be printed in the Commencement Program if you do not sign up online.**
Signing up for commencement does not put you on the degree list; nor does putting yourself on the degree list sign you for commencement!
The date/time of the IASTP Commencement Ceremony is determined by Zellerbach Auditorium from a selection of preferred dates/times. Therefore, our commencement may unavoidably conflict with some final exams. If you have a conflict with a final, ask the professor for an accommodation (like an earlier final). But note that s/he does not have to grant this.
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Tickets
Tickets go on sale Friday, May 1 at 10am in 101 Stephens
Hall. Ticket sale hours are 10am - 2pm daily. Please bring your student ID
with you, and a check or money order - NO CASH OR CREDIT CARDS! Tickets
are required for everyone except graduates and babes in arms. Each graduate
may purchase up to 4 tickets at $7 per ticket. (Limited seating and the number of graduates has required us to reduce the number of tickets available per graduate.) Please leave enough time to complete your exit
survey prior to receiving your tickets.
Convocation Information
The all-campus SPRING CONVOCATION CEREMONY will be held on Friday,
May 22, 2009 at 2:00 pm at the Greek Theatre. This event is typically attended
by students only, not family members (although family and friends are welcome).
Tickets will be available in the spring at the Alumni House.
Summer and fall graduates are welcome to attend the FALL CONVOCATION CEREMONY,
typically held the second Saturday in December in Zellerbach Auditorium. The
IAS Teaching Program does not offer a fall commencement ceremony for summer
and fall graduates.
Chris Gardner, the self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist whose
homelessness-to-riches story inspired the 2006 autobiography and feature
film, The Pursuit of Happyness, will deliver the keynote address this
spring at the UC Berkeley's Commencement Convocation, an annual event
honoring all graduating seniors. Gardner's commitment to speak at the
Greek Theatre on Friday, May 22, is a triumph for the Senior Class Council
of the Californians, the student group that plans Commencement
Convocation.
The full story is online at
Berkeley News.
For more information about Convocation, see http://seniors.berkeley.edu/commencement/convocation.cfm
Caps, Gowns, & Related
For more information about obtaining caps, gowns, hoods, honors cords and announcements The Cal Student Store Graduation Department (510-642-9000 x650).
Diplomas
Diplomas are not awarded at the commencement ceremony, since spring grades are not yet finalized. The Registrar's Office does NOT automatically send you a diploma; you must request it. A diploma request form can be downloaded from http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Records/diplomas.html The fee is $12 domestic/$40 international. Diplomas are available about four months after graduation. You can pick them up in 120 Sproul Hall as well.
Honors & Distinctions
Departmental Honors: Departmental Honors in International and Area Studies are based on writing an honors thesis of high quality and achieving a qualifying grade point average (minimum of a 3.5 overall GPA and 3.6 major GPA).
Departmental honors will be noted in the commencement program. The level of honors achieved -- Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors -- will be noted on students' final transcripts and diplomas. Final transcripts will be available 2 months after graduation. Diplomas will be available approximately 4 months after graduation.
University Honors: The College of Letters & Science awards Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction (comparable to Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude) based on overall GPA. The precise GPAs required vary somewhat year by year, as they are based on the average GPAs of the previous 4 years' graduates. For 2007-2008, graduates need the following overall GPAs to receive university distinction:
Highest Distinction: 3.923
High Distinction: 3.806
Distinction: 3.677
To earn distinction, students must have completed at least 60 units at Berkeley or through EAP (not UC Extension). Of these, at least 43 units must have been taken for a letter grade (physical education activities courses don't count). Courses taken at other UC campuses are included in the GPA. Distinction is awarded automatically and will be noted on your transcript and diploma. Because the grade point averages are calculated on grades not yet recorded by the time of commencement, distinctions are not noted in the commencement program.
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Awards
Awards will be presented at commencement for the following categories:
Departmental Citations for each major
Outstanding Honors Thesis Award
Special Contribution Awards
Recognition of other achievements
List of 2007 Award Winners
Keynote Speaker
Maximilian Auffhammer
Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Professional Photographs
We are fortunate to have a high-quality professional photographer
available to photograph every graduate as s/he walks across the
stage. To order copies of photographs, go to the GradTrak website at: http://www.gradtrak.com/GradTrak/
Program~~
The general format of our two-hour ceremony is as follows:
Processional
Speeches
Awards
Conferral of Degrees
Recessional
Student Speaker
TBD
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