Spring Commencement
Friday, May 19, 2023
7:00 p.m. / McVean Student Center Gymnasium
Congratulations! Your commencement is a special time for you and your family. We are excited to celebrate with you! Please review the information below to ensure you complete the steps required and know all the details of your big day!
Per SUNY's COVID vaccine mandate, all students participating in the commencement ceremony must be fully vaccinated, hold a current exemption, or apply for a short-term accommodation to attend the fall commencement ceremony. Short-term accommodation requests must be sent to thoistion@sunyjefferson.edu no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
1) Complete the Application for Degree/Certificate
All potential May and August graduates are required to submit an Application for Degree/Certificate to Enrollment Services, Jules Center, building 6, suite 6-010 by May 1, 2023. If
you have any questions about the application or graduation requirements, please email
studentrecords@sunyjefferson.edu, call (315)786-2437 or stop into Enrollment Services.
2) Pick up your cap, gown and tickets
May/August candidates for graduation do not need to pre-order, just be sure to pick
up your cap and gown in the JCC Bookstore between May 1 and May 12, 2023. Your regalia
includes the cap, gown, hood, and tassel specific to your program of study. It will
also include any special honors you received from the college, such as Phi Theta Kappa
and Honors Program stoles, as well as military cords for active duty soldiers and
veterans. The cost of your cap and gown is included in your student life fee. Note: Only students with proof of vaccination or an approved exemption on file with the
College are eligible to pick up regalia during this timeframe.
Tickets: If you are participating in the Commencement Ceremony and pick up your regalia by May 12, you can receive up to four (4) guest tickets for McVean Gymnasium seating when picking up your regalia from the Bookstore. There may be limited availability of tickets after May 12.
Guests without a ticket are welcome to view the ceremony live via closed circuit telecast in the air-conditioned Sturtz Theater. We also live stream the College's Commencement exercises via www.sunyjefferson.edu.
Note: Children attending the ceremony must have a ticket and be accompanied by an adult. Strollers are not permitted in the McVean Gymnasium or the Sturtz Theater.
3) Reserve seating for special accommodations
We are happy to reserve seats for your guests who need special accommodations (i.e.
difficulty with stairs/bleachers, use of wheelchair or walkers). Graduates must stop
in the JCC Bookstore to complete an accommodative needs seating request form. It
is important that the form is completed and submitted no later than Wednesday, May 17 so that the College may easily accommodate all requests.
4) Sign up for free childcare
Jefferson Campus Care will provide free childcare during the Commencement Ceremony
and reception (6:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) for children of both graduates and their guests.
Children must be aged 18 months – 12 years old. Please contact Jefferson Campus Care at (315) 786-2357 by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 to register. Note: walk-ins will not be permitted.
5) Attend Commencement Rehearsal on Friday, May 19, 2023
A brief commencement rehearsal will take place at 12:30 p.m. (just after Senior Send-off
taking place from 11:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.). Please meet Faculty Marshals in the McVean
Gymnasium at 12:30 p.m. so we can practice the ceremony and answer any questions you
may have.
6) Enjoy a free lunch at Senior Send-Off: Friday, May 19, 2023
Senior Send-Off, a free luncheon for graduates with music and prizes, begins at 11:30
a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Jules Center Commons.
Your Big Day – when/where to arrive for Commencement
Students: Please be robed and lined up on the Quad, as instructed at rehearsal, by 6:30 p.m. You must pick up your "line-up card" from faculty at the check-in tables located near to the Clock Tower. Robing assistance will be available outside the Gregor Building (#5) lobby and outside the Dulles Building (#3) lobby. Should weather force the processional to line-up inside, updated information will be posted here.
Guests: Your guests may enter the gymnasium at the doors adjacent to Parking Lot D beginning at 6:30 p.m. Handicapped /special needs guests may also disembark at this entrance. Guest seating is available in the bleachers; the first two rows are reserved for special accommodations. Guests must present tickets (for adults and children) to enter the gymnasium. Strollers are not permitted in the gymnasium.
The JCC Bookstore (in the Jules Center), will be open on the evening of commencement from 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Other important details
Flowers and Commemorative T-Shirts
Flowers will be available for purchase at the Commencement Ceremony or can be pre-ordered
by clicking the following link: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/jefferson/. Flowers should be presented after the ceremony is concluded; participants should
not carry flowers in the processional.
A commemorative Jefferson Community College Class of 2023 t-shirt with the names of graduates on the back will be available for purchase ($30) at the commencement ceremony or can be pre-ordered by clicking on the following link: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/jefferson/.
Professional Photographs
A professional photographer will be at Commencement to photograph you on stage with
the College President after you receive your diploma. Immediately following the ceremony,
as graduates leave the gymnasium, you will be directed to cycle through the HAT Dining
Room (off the Jules Center Commons) for a second professional photograph of you with
your diploma. Both of these photos will be provided to you free of charge. They will
be sent to you digitally to the email address in our records within two weeks of the
ceremony.
Photo Area in Jules Center Commons: There will be an area for you take photos with family and friends (and Boomer!) after the ceremony just to the left of the Bookstore entrance in the Jules Center Commons. We will have we will have staff on hand to help by taking the pictures for you.
Live webcast of the ceremony
Jefferson will live-stream the College's Commencement exercises via www.sunyjefferson.edu. The link will be available about 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
Commencement Video
A video of the ceremony will be available (in segments) for free on YouTube (search
for SUNY Jefferson channel).
Diplomas
Only diploma covers will be handed out at Commencement. Diplomas are mailed mid–June
following a graduation audit of your records.
Questions? Contact Karen Freeman via email, commencement@sunyjefferson.edu, or by calling 315-786-2404.
FAQs for Graduates and Guests
No, the cost is included in your student life fee.
Your regalia will be available in the JCC Bookstore beginning Monday, May 1, 2023 through Friday, May 12, 2023. Regalia includes the cap, gown, hood, and tassel specific to your program of study. It will also include any special recognition you received from the college, such as Phi Theta Kappa and Honors Program stoles, as well as military cords. Note: Only students with proof of vaccination or an approved exemption on file with the College are eligible to pick up regalia during this timeframe
Contact the JCC Bookstore at (315) 786-2260 for more information.
Yes. SUNY has mandated that all students using campus facilities be fully vaccinated against COVID (or hold a current medical or religious exemption from the College).
If you are not currently vaccinated and want to participate in commencement, please plan accordingly to be fully vaccinated by May 19, 2023. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require 2 doses, several weeks apart. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one dose only. To make an appointment, visit www.vaccine.gov. Proof of vaccination must be provided to the College no later than May 17, 2023.
You may apply for a short-term accommodation to attend the spring commencement ceremony. Short-term accommodation requests must be sent to thoistion@sunyjefferson.edu no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
No. Visitors to campus are not required to be vaccinated.
At present time, masks are not required on campus, however graduates and guests are most welcome to wear one.
Yes. If you are fully vaccinated, you can pick up your cap, gown and tassel in the Bookstore between May 1 - May 12. If you are not fully vaccinated, please call the Bookstore at (315) 786-2260 to make alternate arrangements. Regalia will be available to those not participating in the ceremony beginning Monday, May 22.
You can receive up to four (4) guest tickets when you pick up your cap and gown in the JCC Bookstore beginning Monday, May 1. Tickets will only be given to graduating students. If you are not currently living locally, please call the Bookstore at (315) 786-2260 to make alternate arrangements.
A ticket is required to enter the Commencement Ceremony in the McVean Gymnasium, however, guests without a ticket are welcome to view a live video stream of the ceremony in the College’s air-conditioned Sturtz Theater or on the College's website, www.sunyjefferson.edu.
Yes. All children in attendance must have a ticket and be accompanied by an adult. Please be aware that strollers are not permitted in the McVean Gymnasium.
Free childcare is available for children ages 18 months – 12 years old. Please contact Jefferson Campus Care at (315) 786-2357 by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 to register. Note: walk-ins will not be permitted.
First, please check-in at the table located near to the Clock Tower on the Quad. This is where you will pick up your "line up card". Then, you will line up with your Academic School at 6:30 p.m.:
School of Arts & Humanities - outside of Gregor Building 5.
School of Business, Hospitality & Tourism - outside of Guthrie Building 2.
School of Education, Behavioral Science and Public Services - outside of Gregor Bldg
5.
School of STEM and Health Professions - outside of Guthrie Building 2.
SUNY Potsdam students - outside of Dulles Building 3.
Marshals will be available to assist with proper line-up. Robing assistance will be available. Please be sure to allow extra time to do this, if needed, as the procession to the gymnasium begins at 5:55 p.m. Representatives from each of the four Schools and from SUNY Potsdam will assist with lining up for the march. It is important that you arrive on time to ensure everyone receives clear instructions for the ceremony.
There will be signs posted in the JCC parking lots directing you and your guests to available parking in Lots C and D.
Yes! Stop in the Bookstore to complete an accommodative needs seating request form. It is important that you complete the form prior to May 12 o that the College may easily accommodate all requests.
The link will be available on the College’s homepage sunyjefferson.edu at 6:45 pm. on May 19.