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An Academic Ceremony Guide
Academic Procession in General
There is wide variation in customs concerning academic processions. In some institutions, the procession is led by a mace bearer, in others by the chief marshal. Either may be followed by a color guard. (On some occasions the colors are displayed on the stage and are not moved during the ceremony.) At some institutions there are more divisions in the procession than are indicated below, e.g., church dignitaries. Such groups have traditional places in the procession, determined by the individual institution.
Commencement Exercises
The Preliminary Procession.
The commencement procession is usually composed of the following divisions: (1) the speakers, trustees, administrative officers, and other members of the platform party; (2) the faculty; and (3) candidates for degrees, with candidates for advanced degrees in the lead and others in groups according to the degrees for which they are candidates. The divisions may march in the above order, or in reverse order. If the latter procedure is chosen, the candidates for degrees after reaching their seats, face toward the center aisle as a mark of respect while the faculty and trustees proceed to their places.
The Commencement Ceremony.
The essential elements of the ceremony are the conferring of degrees and the commencement address. Earned degrees are usually conferred in ascending order, with baccalaureate degrees first and doctorates last. Honorary degrees are conferred, with individual citations, after the earned degrees. (At some institutions, this order is reversed, with baccalaureate degrees conferred last.)
The Subsequent Procession.
The platform party and faculty leave the hall in that order. Recipients of degrees may be required to join the procession or may be permitted to disperse from their seats when the first two divisions have left the hall.
The Baccalaureate Service
The preliminary procession for the baccalaureate service differs from that for commencement exercises in the following main respects: (a) the platform party, faculty, and degree candidates most frequently march in that order; and (b) candidates for degrees are not required to march in a special order determined by degrees to be conferred.
Inauguration Exercises
The Preliminary Procession.
When a president or chancellor of a college or university is to be inaugurated, it is traditional for the academic procession to include at least the following divisions in the following order: (1) delegates of colleges and universities arranged according to the dates when the respective institutions were founded; (2) delegates of learned societies and associations; the faculty; (3) the trustees; and (4) the speakers and other dignitaries in the president's party, with the person to be inaugurated marching alone at the very end of the procession.
The Ceremony.
The essential components of the ceremony are the installation, usually by the chair of the board of trustees, and the inaugural address by the new head of the institution. Additional addresses preceding the inaugural address may be made by representatives of governments, churches, other institutions, alumni, etc., as appropriate.
The Subsequent Procession.
The newly inaugurated president or chancellor leads the procession from the hall, followed by the five divisions listed above, in reverse order.
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