Spring Commencement

Friday, May 17, 2019
7:00 p.m. /McVean Student Center Gymnasium

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! Your commencement is a special time for you and your family.  Please review the information below to ensure you complete the steps required and know all the details of your big day!

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 April 5, 2019. If you have any questions about the application or graduation requirements, please email [email protected], call (315)786-2386 or stop into Enrollment Services.

2) Pick up your cap, gown and tickets
No need to pre-order, just be sure to pick up your cap and gown in the JCC Bookstore between April 29 and May 10, 2019.   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.

Tickets:   If you are participating in the Commencement Ceremony and pick up your regalia by May 10,  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 10th.  

Guests without a ticket are welcome to view the ceremony live via closed circuit telecast in the air-conditioned Sturtz Theater.  We also live video 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 15th 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. – 9:00 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 15, 2019 to register. Note: walk-ins will not be permitted.

5) Attend Commencement Rehearsal on Friday, May 17, 2019
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 17, 2019
Senior Send-Off, a free luncheon for graduates with music and prizes, begins at 11:00 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 tables located between the Gregor Building (#5) and Jules Center (#6). 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.

After the ceremony, join your family, faculty and staff at a reception in your honor in the Jules Center Commons. Light refreshments will be served.

The JCC Bookstore (in the Jules Center), will be open on the evening of commencement from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 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 2019 t-shirt with the names of graduates on the back will be available for purchase ($25) at the commencement ceremony or can be pre-ordered by clicking on the following link:  https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/jefferson/.

Photographs
A professional photographer will be at Commencement to photograph you as you walk across the stage. Proofs of the photos will be available online (www.geneseephoto.com) 2-3 days after the ceremony and mailed to you so you can place an order if you so choose.  You are under no obligation to purchase photos taken at Commencement.  After the ceremony, Genesee Photo Systems can be reached by calling 1-800-345-7427.

Photo Room:  We have an official photo room for you to take photos with family and friends after the ceremony. Located in the Walker Instructional Dining Room, directly across from the Bookstore, we will have staff on hand to help by taking the pictures for you.

Live webcast of the ceremony
Jefferson will video 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/DVD
A video of the ceremony will be available in segments for free on YouTube (search for SUNY Jefferson channel). A DVD of the  Commencement Ceremony will also be available for purchase ($10) by calling the Bookstore at (315) 786-2260.

Diplomas
Only diploma covers will be handed out at Commencement. Diplomas are mailed mid–June following a graduation audit of your records.

Leave your mark on campus
Graduates can leave their mark on campus by leaving a unique gift of an engraved paver on the Quad. Engraved pavers will be placed at the center of Jefferson's campus, in the area surrounding the Haas Clocktower, where it will be enjoyed for years to come by our students and their families, faculty and community members. Your gift will also help the Jefferson Foundation continue its mission of supporting student scholarships and campus initiatives. For more information, contact the Jefferson Foundation at (315) 786-2291.