VSU Hosts Commencement Ceremonies Dec. 12

VALDOSTA -- Valdosta State University will host commencement for 845 fall semester graduates on Saturday, Dec. 12, in the P.E. Complex.

The day’s graduation festivities will begin with a 10 a.m. ceremony for Dewar College of Education and Air Force ROTC graduates. At 1 p.m., College of the Arts, Langdale College of Business, College of Nursing, Master of Social Work and Master of Library Information Sciences’ students will walk across the stage. The graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences will commence at 4 p.m.

Students must arrive one hour prior to the ceremony and park in the Sustella Parking Deck, behind the Student Recreation Center. Upon entry to the P.E. Complex, undergraduates should proceed upstairs to the mezzanine and follow signage to meet up with their college’s fellow graduates. Graduate students are to go to P.E. Room 143, located in the south hallway. Graduates are required to wear academic regalia and encouraged to wear dark shoes and accessories.

All people driving to graduation ceremonies are urged to avoid Baytree Road to decrease congestion on the main thoroughfare. Valdosta residents are being asked to utilize shortcuts to the P.E. Complex to ease the traffic flow for out of town guests.

Parking is available for guests in the Oak Street Parking Deck and surface lot as well as the Sustella deck. The P.E. Complex Parking Lot has been designated for accessibility parking on a first-come, first-serve basis. A handicap parking permit is required to park in the lot. Guests in need of an accessible entrance to the building should use the west P.E. Complex entrance, which faces Sustella Avenue. Ushers at this entrance will assist people to accessible seating.

The ceremony will be interpreted for any deaf or hard of hearing attendees. Guests requiring this service should notify staff to ensure they are seated in a location that provides a clear view of interpreters. Please contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities if you have any accessibility questions or concerns at 229-245-2498 (V), 866-948-3815 (VP) or 229-219-1348 (TTY).

A professional photographer will take official photos at the event. Graduates are invited to a reception outside the P.E. Complex near the tennis courts immediately following the ceremony.

Additional information about graduation schedules, directions and seating may be found at VSU Event Services Web site, www.valdosta.edu/commencement/index.shtml . The site also features a graduation checklist, cap and gown information and photography details.