Commencement and Hooding Ceremony

Leslie M. Turner, general counsel for Coca-Cola North America, will deliver the keynote address at Georgia State University College of Law's Commencement and Hooding Ceremony, Friday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. in the University Sports Arena.

This year's ceremony marks an historic first for the law school. In past years, graduates were hooded in preparation for the official university commencement, usually held the following day, where they received their degrees. This year and moving forward, the ceremony will be recognized as the official event for conferring the Juris Doctor degree. The choreography of the ceremony will still revolve around the formality of individual hooding of each graduate, and Georgia State President Mark P. Becker will be present to officially confer the award of degrees.News article...

Hooding Participants

All participants must report with your academic regalia to rooms 100 and 170 of the College of Law for marshalling at 3:15 p.m. Tricia Rackliffe, College of Law Registrar, will meet you and point out your position in the processional.  After receiving these instructions, you will proceed to the Sports Arena for the official processional.

During the hooding ceremony, when your name is announced, you should proceed to the hooding station where selected members of the faculty will affix an academic hood to your regalia. The ceremony itself should last approximately 90 minutes.  A reception with light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will immediately follow the ceremony outside on the Urban Life Plaza.  In case of inclement weather, the reception will be held in the West Exhibit Area, 2nd floor of the Urban Life Center.

Regalia

Regalia will be available for purchase from the University Bookstore and pre-orders will be accepted at a bookstore 'fair' on March 31 and April 1 in the Student Center Ballroom. The cost is $74 for your regalia which includes cap, gown, hood and tassel. You are welcome to purchase regalia elsewhere but the hood must have the traditional law purple stripe and Georgia State red and blue stripes on the inside. All degree candidates participating in the Hooding Ceremony are required to wear appropriate academic regalia. For more information, contact the bookstore directly at (404) 413-9700.

Guest admission and announcements

Since the Hooding Ceremony is scheduled in the Sports Arena, no tickets are required for admission and there are no reserved seats. The College of Law will provide you with 15 announcements at no cost.  Announcements will be available for pick-up on Friday, March 20, 2009, from the 4th floor receptionist at the College of Law.  Along with your 15 announcements, you will receive parking maps and direction cards.  If you are printing your own invitations, please be sure to include the parking maps and direction cards for your guests.

Parking

On the afternoon of the ceremony, parking will be available for your guests for a fee of $6.00 per vehicle in parking lots N, K and S.  Parking instructions    will be included with your invitations. Guests should allow at least 30 minutes for parking and entry into the Sports Arena. For information on handicap parking accommodations contact Georgia State University Auxiliary Services at (404) 413-9500.

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