Participants Information
The Fifty-Seventh Annual Commencement of the CUNY Graduate Center, City University of New York
Event Details:
Friday, June 2, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center
Find information below for participants of the CUNY Graduate Center's 2023 Commencement:
Please contact rsvpcommence@gc.cuny.edu with any questions.
Graduates
Commencement registration is now closed.
Tickets
Additional tickets went are on sale and can be purchased by the graduate for $25 each, with a limit of four tickets. Additional ticket supply, if any, will be limited and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase additional tickets here.
All tickets will be distributed on the day of the event.
Regalia
Master’s and doctoral graduates can get rental regalia from Herff Jones at our on-site event at the Graduate Center on Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The costs are $88 for master’s regalia and $108 for doctoral regalia. Pre-ordering is no longer available.
Please consult the FAQ on our website for more information. You can reach out to rsvpcommence@gc.cuny.edu with any additional questions.
Day Of
Arrival
Graduates should arrive at David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, by 11 a.m.:
- Master's students should be dressed in their regalia.
- Doctoral graduates should wear their gowns and tams (hats) but carry their hoods. The tassel on your tam goes on the left side.
Proceed to the Welcome Center to retrieve your ticket and then go to the second floor where you will pick up your name card, take some photos, and find fellow graduates from your program on the May Terrace. You will see signs indicating where to go.
Ceremony Information
All graduates will be lined up and ready to process by 1 p.m. The ceremony begins promptly at 1:30 p.m. View the order of exercises.
- Doctoral graduates: when processing into the theater and when approaching the stage, carry your unbuttoned doctoral hood on your arm.
When it is your turn to come to the stage, you will first hand the name card you received at check-in to the reader, Danya Katok, who will read your name as you walk across the stage.
When you walk across the stage, pause at the first “X” on the floor:
- Master's graduates will pause for a quick photo before receiving congratulations from the President and Provost
- Doctoral graduates should hand their hood to the faculty member hooding you. Bend your knees slightly to make it easier to receive the hood. We will make every effort to take your photo while you are being hooded. Once you are hooded, you will receive congratulations from the President and Provost.
Please return to your seat for the remainder of the ceremony.
Once the ceremony concludes with the recessional, you can meet your guests in the David Geffen Hall lobby. We expect the ceremony to end at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Faculty
Commencement registration is now closed.
Attire
Faculty attire will be distributed from the Skylight Room on Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Day Of
Faculty are to arrive in their regalia at David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, at 11:45 a.m. and proceed to the Musician’s Lounge. Faculty will line up by 1:15 p.m. to process into the Wu Tsai Theater. The ceremony begins promptly at 1:30 p.m. and will last approximately two hours.
Platform Party
Attire
Faculty attire will be distributed from the Skylight Room on Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Day Of
Platform Party members are to arrive at David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, at 11:45 a.m. and proceed to the Sidewalk Studio.
The Platform Party will line up by 1:15 p.m. to process onto the stage at the Wu Tsai Theater. The ceremony begins promptly at 1:30 p.m. and will last for approximately two hours.
For all Executive Officers in the platform party, please arrive in regalia. Once again, this year you will remain in your seats on the stage when the graduates from your program come up for their hooding and recognition.
Staff
Commencement registration is now closed. As always, staff will need to notify their supervisors about their plans to attend Commencement.
Staff/guests should plan to arrive at David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza by 12:30 p.m. to retrieve their tickets for entry. Doors for the Wu Tsai Theater open at 1 p.m.
All tickets will be distributed on the day of the event. Staff ticket will be under staff's name at the Welcome Center.
