School of Education 2013 Spring Commencement

Tags: current students, faculty, staff, undergraduate

Last modified: April 24, 2013

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Commencement speaker,
Carl A. Cohn

Carl A. Cohn, Ed.D., is Director of the Urban Leadership Program and a professor in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Most recently, he served as superintendent of schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Prior to that, he worked as a professor at the University of Southern California, and was a federal court monitor for the special education consent decree in the Los Angeles school system. From 1992 to 2002, he was the superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District. His tenure at Long Beach culminated with him winning the McGraw Prize in 2002, and the district winning the Broad Prize in 2003.

Cohn has worked as a faculty advisor for both the Broad Superintendents Academy and the Harvard Urban Superintendents Program. He also serves on the boards of the American College Testing, Inc. (ACT), the Center for Reform of School Systems, and EdSource. Other national school reform activities include service on the Gates Foundation's Empowering Effective Teachers Advisory Committee, the Teacher Preparation Assessment Consortium, the Advisory Council of American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Research Council's independent evaluation of the Washington D.C. Public Schools, and the U.S. Department of Education's National Technical Advisory Committee.

In January of 2011, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. appointed him to the California State Board of Education, and he was unanimously confirmed by the California State Senate in August of the same year. Among his many publications, Cohn co-edited the 2004 Teachers College Press publication, Partnering to Lead Educational Renewal: High Quality Teachers, High Quality Schools.

Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2013

Commencement Information
Diplomas
Reception
Registering for Commencement and Reception
Invitations
Academic Attire
Grad Fair
Honor Cords from Kappa Delta Pi
Honor Cords for School of Education Dean's Award for Academic Excellence
Honor Cords for All Other Non-School of Education Programs
Assembling on Commencement Day
Commencement Day Information for Family and Guests
For Graduates and Guests with Disabilities
Driving Directions, Parking and Accommodations
Important Contact Information
Questions

Commencement Information

School of Education Commencement
Saturday, May 4, 5:00 p.m.
Hill Auditorium,
825 North University,
Ann Arbor, MI

You are eligible to participate in the school's ceremony if you:

Please note:

The length of the ceremony is approximately 90 minutes.

Graduates and guests DO NOT NEED a ticket to attend the School of Education ceremony. 

Master's and PhD graduating students are also invited to participate in the University Graduate Exercises (Rackham) on Friday, May 3, at 11:00 a.m. at Hill Auditorium.

All School of Education graduating students also invited to participate in the All-University Spring Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 4, at 10:00 a.m. at the Michigan Stadium.
Note that tickets are required to participate in the All-University Commencement.

Diplomas

Reception

There will be a reception following the ceremony at Ingalls Mall, which is located between Hill Auditorium and the Michigan League.

Registering for Commencement and Reception

While tickets are not required for your guests, we do need to know how many attendees to expect at the commencement ceremony and reception. Please register to attend the commencement reception to let us know how many guests will be in your party:

Invitations

You may order and purchase invitations from any bookstore or printer you choose. Options include Ulrich's Bookstore 734.662.3201 or the Michigan Union Bookstore 734.995.8877. On your invitation, be sure to mention the reception following the ceremony at Ingalls Mall.

Academic Attire

Please plan to wear academic attire to the School of Education commencement ceremony. Attire* is available for purchase or rental at three local bookstores.

*Doctoral attire is available only at the Michigan Union Bookstore. Rackham Graduate School does not furnish hoods; you can rent them from the Michigan Union Bookstore before April 15.

During the graduation ceremony, the tassel is worn on the right front corner of the cap and is moved to the left after the degree has been conferred. Women should wear caps at all times; men should remove caps only during the singing of the National Anthem.

Grad Fair

The Spring Grad Fair will be held on Thursday, March 14, 2013, from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on the ground floor of the Michigan Union.

This is your one stop shopping place for all of your graduation needs. You can purchase your cap and gown, class rings, graduate portraits and frames. University staff will be available to answer your general commencement questions or concerns.

At the Grad Fair students can purchase their attire at a 10% discount.

Honor Cords from Kappa Delta Pi

To be eligible for a KDP honor cord you must:

Be a member of KDP
Average 25 participation points for each semester that you are involved in KDP ' e.g. a senior who joined KDP in fall 2009 would need 100 points (earned by volunteering at KDP events, coming to meetings, chairing events, donating supplies for events, etc.).

To be accepted to KDP
Undergraduates must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or greater.
Graduate students must have an overall grade point average of 3.25 or greater.

The process
KDP officers will review point totals by April 21st to determine who is eligible for cords and will notify recipients directly.
KDP distributes the honor cords. Recipients will be informed of this process in their notification letters.

The color of the cords are purple and green. Please contact Kelly Williams at kwilli@umich.edu, 734.355.9996, with any further questions. 

Honor Cords for School of Education Dean's Award for Academic Excellence

Each year fifteen students enrolled in the School of Education are recognized for having attained academic distinction by establishing the highest university-wide grade-point averages among all School of Education undergraduates in that calendar year. Among these students, those who are graduating at this time are signified in the academic procession by the wearing of a light blue braid.

Students receiving recognition will be notified and will be given a braid to wear for graduation.

Honor Cords for All Other Non-School of Education Programs

Please check the honor cord requirements for your specific program. If you meet the honor cord requirements please contact that program for information on how to attain a cord for graduation.

Assembling on Commencement Day

All Undergraduates, Master's and Doctoral Graduates: Please plan to arrive between 4:00 - 4:15 p.m. and meet on the ground floor (basement) of Hill Auditorium to check in, fill out your name card and organize for the academic procession. During the ceremony, the name of each recipient present will be read. The recipient will walk across the stage to be greeted by the dean and receive a memento of the event.

Commencement Day Information for Family and Guests

Hill Auditorium will open to guests at 4:15 p.m. Guests should enter through the front doors and be seated by 4:55 p.m. Aside from the seating area reserved for graduates, it is general seating and guests may sit wherever they prefer. We anticipate that all guests will be able to be accommodated on the main floor and the mezzanine level. If additional seating is needed we will open the balcony for seating as well. Please encourage your guests to arrive early for a good seat. Guests are requested to remain seated throughout the program.

For Graduates and Guests with Disabilities

The University of Michigan wants to ensure that all graduates, candidates, and guests can participate fully in graduation. The following arrangements are made in cooperation with the Accessibility Task Force of the Council for Disability Concerns.

If your guest(s) have mobility limitations (wheelchair, walker, etc.) please plan to have them arrive by 4:00 p.m. so that they can be seated before we open the doors to the general public. By entering Hill Auditorium from the WEST entrance (off Thayer) you will be nearest the ramps into the auditorium. Ushers will be available to assist in locating wheelchair-accessible seating and restrooms for guests.Please contact Jean Steppe, 734.214.6430 or jsteppe@umich.edu if you have any questions regarding your guests' needs.

A sign language interpreter will also be present.

Driving Directions, Parking and Accommodations

Driving directions to Hill Auditorium can be found at www.ums.org.

Hotel arrangements for your guests should be made as soon as possible.

Public parking will be available in the U-M parking structures on Thayer and Fletcher Streets. These are the closest structures to Hill Auditorium and they provide handicapped parking. Please see parking map for parking options near Hill Auditorium. The U-M Parking Office will suspend enforcement for the Thayer and Fletcher street parking structure/lots for graduates and their guests. Please avoid any specialty parking spaces such as the reserved spots for U-M vehicles only. If a parking attendant is at the gate, please tell them you are attending the School of Education commencement. Parking spaces are provided on a first come, first served basis so there is no guarantee that you will find parking in these two lots. For a complete listing of all city and campus parking please visit:

For cars with handicapped parking permits nearly the entire lower level of the Thayer Street structure is reserved for handicapped parking. This structure is across the street in the same block as Hill Auditorium (see map). There are also numerous spaces located on various levels of the Fletcher Street structure, near the Alumni Center. These are somewhat less convenient locations than the Thayer Street structure. A few city-maintained handicapped parking spaces are also available on streets in the vicinity.

Important Contact Information

Barnes and Noble @ University of Michigan Bookstore - Academic Attire Rental/Sales - 734.995.8877
University Commencement Hotline - 734.647.6037
University Graduate Exercises - 734.615.0520
Campus Information Centers - 734.764.4636
Diploma and Transcript Office - 734.763.9066

Questions

Please contact the commencement coordinator, Jean Steppe, jsteppe@umich.edu or 734.214.6430.

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