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Commencement Ceremony: 9:45 a.m.

Frank Erwin Center 1701 Red River Street

Austin, TX 78701

http://texas.wgu.edu/commencement

WGU Texas 2016 Commencement Guidebook

Saturday, September 17, 2016 Austin, TX

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WGU Texas graduates and faculty are invited to attend the 2016 WGU Texas Mixer. This celebration pro-vides an opportunity to meet and mingle with your fellow Night Owls and faculty.

Date & Location: Friday, September 16 7 to 9 p.m. JW Marriott Austin Grand Salon, Level 4 110 E. Second Street Austin, Texas 78701 Dress attire: business Light hors d’oeuvres Cash bar Photos with mascot “Sage the

Night Owl” The WGU Store will be at commencement for gifts and accessories. Visit the table at the mixer or before commencement to get your WGU Texas gear.

Parking Information: Valet parking (in and out privileges) is available at the hotel for $40 (plus tax) and self parking (no in and out privileges) is $30 (plus tax). Self-parking (hourly) 0-3 Hours - $15 plus tax 3-6 Hours - $23 plus tax 6-24 Hours - $30 plus tax

Additional parking garages in the area:

Convention Center Parking – 2nd between Brazos/San Jacinto ($6/hr. – cash or credit)

Premiere Parking Garage -5th between Brazos/San Jacinto ($6/hr. – cash or credit)

Littlefield Scarborough Building Parking Garage "– Brazos between 5th/6th ($6/hr. – cash or credit)

RSVP for the Mixer

2016 WGU TEXAS MIXER

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Commencement creates a special and memorable experience for graduates that not only celebrates their achievement, but highlights the new directions of their dreams. We want our graduates to experience a joyful ceremony that truly recognizes their hard work and the sacrifices they have made. WGU Texas believes mutually respectful participation by graduates and their guests is the best way to set the stage.

Academic Attire for Graduates

All graduating students wear approved academic attire that includes a cap, gown, and tassel. The official regalia color is NAVY, which can be purchased from our regalia vendor. Master’s degree graduates will need a hood specific to their degree. We encourage you to wear comfortable, yet professional, dress attire under your gown rather than casual clothing. WGU Texas graduates affiliated with an academic honor society may wear society pins or honor cords on their gowns. With the exception of leis and corsages, graduates should not wear other items or decoration on their academic regalia.

Commencement Etiquette To promote a respectful, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for graduates and their guests, all attendees need to observe the following guidelines. 1. Put your cell phone on vibrate or silent during the ceremony. 2. Do not leave until the entire ceremony has ended and participate in the recessional. 3. Keep cheering respectfully and avoiding disruptive outbursts to allow the families and guests of other graduates to hear their graduates’ names when they are read.

Guest Seating Guests should be seated with their cell phones on silent or vibrate before the graduate procession begins. Guests should remain in their seats during the entire ceremony as a courtesy to graduates. The commencement venue allows photos and videos at the ceremony; however, we encourage you to take photos from your seat rather than from aisles due to fire and safety regulations. WGU Texas has hired a professional photog-rapher for this event. Images of each graduate and the ceremony will be available online for purchase.

Babies and Young Children

The commencement ceremony is broadcast live and recorded. We know that many graduates want young family members to be a part of this special event. For your child’s comfort and as a courtesy to graduates, we encourage you to bring toys, refreshments, or other items that will keep your child quietly entertained for several hours. Caretakers should bring restless young children or crying babies to the lobby area to avoid disrupting the ceremony or the broadcast. A viewing area will be availa-ble in the lobby. To promote safety in close quarters, no babies or children will be allowed on stage or to sit with graduates. By observing these guidelines, we can have a safe, enjoyable, and memorable commencement. We look forward to greeting and meeting you at the upcoming commencement ceremony!

CEREMONY PROTOCOL

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All graduates participating in the commencement ceremony must arrive wearing full

academic attire: cap with tassel and gown. Master’s: please wear your hood. No changing rooms are on site. Before arriving to commencement, please eat breakfast and wear comfortable shoes. No large purses or backpacks are allowed inside the arena. Please enter the Frank Erwin Center from the doors on Red River Street. This area is the staging

location for graduates and faculty. Guests will be directed to the northwest ramp or southwest steps for building entrances.

8:00 a.m. Graduate Registration & Individual Photo – Lone Star Room Note: Only graduates are permitted in the Lone Star Room.

Please report to the registration table where you will pick up your name card containing your name, degree, and a line-up number. Please hold on to this card, which will be used to line you up for the processional march and provided later to the name reader. All graduates must be registered and in the designated area by 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Erwin Center Doors Open for Public Seating There is not a waiting area for guests who arrive before 9:00 a.m. The doors will open at 9:00 am for guest seating. No tickets are required for commencement. 9:15 a.m. Graduate Line-up, Lone Star Room

After registration, graduates will be lined up by class (master’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees) and led into the arena.

9:45 a.m. Commencement Processional, Erwin Center

The commencement ceremony will begin with the processional march of the stage party and graduates.

Opening Announcement Processional National Anthem Welcome by WGU Texas Chancellor Commencement Address Graduate Speakers Conferral of Degrees Closing Remarks Recessional

End of Ceremony

The stage platform party and faculty will exit first. Row marshals will lead graduates out of the Erwin Center. Families and guests can meet graduates at the north end of the building by the flag poles.

GRADUATE SCHEDULE - SEPTEMBER 17

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Conferral of Degrees

The Chancellor will confer degrees in the following order:

1. Master’s degrees

2. Bachelor’s degrees

There will be two lines that go on stage. The master’s group

will be divided into line A and line B. Line A will proceed to

the stage from house left, and line B will proceed to the

stage from house right. The green arrows demonstrate the

flow.

Diploma Presentation

1. The graduate will first stop at the name reader lectern.

2. The graduate will be asked to stop at the X in front of the video camera for a face shot. At this time, the

graduate’s name will be announced while their image is projected on the video screens.

3. After this, the graduate will be sent to the diploma table where they will receive a diploma cover.

4. Then, the graduate will walk toward the front of stage for a handshake with a WGU Texas university

official.

DIPLOMA COVER PRESENTATION

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Important Reminders Erwin Center doors open at 9 a.m. for guest seating. There is not a waiting

area for guests who arrive before 9 a.m.

Tickets are NOT required for the commencement ceremony. No reserved guest seating. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Please keep in mind that aisles must be kept clear at all times to follow fire and

safety regulations.

Guest Services staff will assist guests needing wheelchair transport or wheelchair seating. You may call Guest Services regarding questions about accessibility at 512-471-7744 or at 512-471-4718.

Venue-Specific Policies: The Erwin Center wants to promote the maximum public safety and enjoyment while WGU guests, graduates, and staff attend commence-ment at the arena. Be advised of arena rules: No smoking or chewing tobacco is allowed within the arena or outside doors. The following items are PROHIBITED: air horns, balloons, confetti, hard-sided coolers, fireworks, laser pointers, noisemakers, outside food and beverages (except for individual water bottles), weapons, or whistles. Facility security has the right to act in any manner necessary to ensure safety of all guests, staff, faculty, and graduates as well as the dignity of the events.

COMMENCEMENT SEATING

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PARKING MAP

GRADS: Please enter the Frank Erwin Center from the doors on Red River Street. Guests will be directed to the northwest ramp or southwest steps for building entrances.

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FRANK ERWIN CENTER– CONSTRUCTION MAP

Grads: please enter Erwin Cen-ter from the doors on Red River Street

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Recycle Your Gown (Optional)

Graduates will be wearing regalia made from 100% post-

consumer recycled plastic bottles! Fewer plastic bottles will be

choking our landfills because for every WGU Texas graduate

walking at commencement, an average of 23 plastic bottles

was used to manufacture their cap and gown.

If you have no desire to keep your regalia after the ceremony,

Oak Hall Cap and Gown will provide recycling boxes for you to properly dispose

of your cap or gown. The boxes will be located at various spots around the

commencement area and clearly identified for their use. Oak Hall Cap and Gown has

partnered with recycling companies that can take your disposed regalia and turn them

into recycled products (such as down comforter material for pillows and blankets or

carpet fibers). So if you have decided that you do not want to keep your regalia, rest

assured that your cap and gown will not end up in the landfill.

During the WGU Texas Commencement ceremony, Bob Daemmrich Photography,

Inc. will be taking candid shots, speaker photos, and graduate

shots. Those images will all be available online for viewing/

purchase two weeks after the ceremony.

Go to www.bobphoto.com, click on “Contact” tab in the upper right, and then click on

“WGU Texas 2016 Commencement Photos” link.

There is no obligation to purchase.

Special Note: Still photography and video is taken at every commencement

ceremony. A graduate’s appearance and participation in the commencement

ceremony is recorded on video tape and still photography. WGU Texas may use some

of these images in its publications (student newsletter, alumni newsletter, university

newsletter, etc.) for informational purposes.

PHOTOGRAPHY & GOWN RECYCLING

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Join in the commencement excitement by tagging your photos and updates with #WGUTX16 on Facebook or Twitter. After grad-uation, keep up to date with everything WGU Texas offers its alumni. We regularly plan networking, social, and volunteer opportunities for our alumni, students, and faculty. The best way to stay connected is through social media.

LET’S STAY CONNECTED

Like us on Facebook!

Follow our blog!

Tweet with us!

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Family and guests who are not able to attend the national commencement can watch graduates who are attending the commencement ceremony in Austin via an online broadcast. To watch the ceremony live online, go to the following link on Saturday, September 17, 2016, 9:45 A.M. (Central Time):

http://texas.wgu.edu/wgu/commencement_sept2016

WGU Texas Commencement

Toll Free: (866) 895-9660 x 6634

txcommencement@wgu.edu

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