Commencement 2021

Online registration for commencement opens April 17 and closes at 5 p.m. on April 23.

Ceremony Choice: Students may select any session, with the exception of nursing. Nursing students may select either of the two nursing ceremonies. Spaces are first-come, first-served. If all sessions fill, the college will open additional general sessions during the registration period.

Session Themes: Sessions are themed by academic department. Faculty and staff will be working the event, and the themes will help them select sessions when they are most likely to see their own department graduates. Liberal arts students may select the department they identify with the most. The nursing years are a suggestion if classmates wish to stay together, but nursing students are welcome to select the ceremony that is most convenient.

Session Schedule

May 21, 9:45 a.m.: Social Science
May 21, 10:45 a.m.: Health Science & Human Performance
May 21, 11:45 a.m.: Computing Sciences/Math/Science and Technology
May 21, 12:45 p.m.: Business

May 22, 9:45 a.m.: Business
May 22, 10:45 a.m.: Conservation
May 22, 11:45 a.m.: VAPA/Humanities
May 22, 12:45 p.m.: Nursing 2020
May 22, 2:15 p.m.: Nursing 2021

All graduates must register for themselves and their guests. Only those on the registration list will be allowed to enter.

If you need to substitute a guest after you register, please send the graduate's name and the new guest's name, email and phone number to communityaffairs@flcc.edu no later than 48 hours before the ceremony.

Caps and Gowns: April 23 is the deadline to order your cap and gown from the FLCC Book Nook. There is no cost for 2021 graduates and 2020 graduates who did not order last year. Your order will be mailed to your home. If you have any holds on your account due to unpaid bills, you will need to settle the account prior to ordering your cap and gown.

Phi Theta Kappa regalia: Visit the Phi Theta Kappa Recognition Store at https://portal.ptk.org/Store.aspx to purchase the regalia.

Veterans: Graduates who are veterans may stop by the Office of Student Life to pick up an honor cord during business hours.

Send us your photo: Whether you participate in commencement, you are welcome to submit a photo for an online photo album. Please send it to communityaffairs@flcc.edu by May 12. Make sure to give your full name and degree. ( Example: Jane Marie Doe, A.A.S. Networking and Cybersecurity.)

Have your photo taken: Photographers from GradImages^® will be at the ceremony and will take a posed photograph of each graduate in front of a backdrop.

To order photos: Within five to seven days after commencement, graduates will receive an order form with free passport-sized digital proofs. Orders may be placed online at www.gradimages.com or by calling (1) 800-261-2576.

Pre-register: Graduates may pre-register online at www.gradimages.com to receive an email as soon as their photos are available for viewing and ordering.

Park in the A or B lot. Please allow time to walk from the parking lot to CMAC. There is no shuttle service to CMAC.

There will be a drop-off area next to CMAC for people with disabilities. However, some walking is still required to get to the seating area. Families with members who have limited mobility should plan ahead and consider bringing a wheelchair and designating a member of the family to push the wheelchair.

Restrooms will be available on the CMAC grounds (look for signs pointing to a separate building located to the left as you face the stage).

Safety Protocols

All graduates and guests must wear masks at all times; however, graduates may take their masks off while on stage after being directed by staff.

You and your guests must complete the CampusClear screening app. Please help your family members download it a few days before the ceremony to save time. Anyone who cannot show the CampusClear screen upon arrival will have to wait in a line to answer screening questions. You do not need to have a COVID-19 test or a vaccination card in order to attend.

Dress

Dress appropriately for the occasion and the weather. No matter what the temperature is outside, it is always colder in CMAC. High heels are not recommended as the event includes walking and stairs.

Lineup

Show up on time for your session. It is short – you don't want to miss it. Please arrive wearing your cap and gown and report directly to CMAC.

You will line up right along the walkways inside CMAC. One or all of your guests may walk with you toward the stage. Your guest(s) will split off right before you reach the stage so they can get ready for photos and videos.

At least one family member should stay with you and be ready to take a photo. Those who sit will have to remain seated through the ceremony.

When you reach the stage, a staff member will tell you when you are free to take off your mask. You will have a large card with your name and degree. When prompted, you will clip it to a music stand so the speaker can read your name. You will walk across the stage to a table and pick up a diploma cover. (They are empty; your diploma is mailed after your grades are recorded.)

Please pause and greet the president (The president cannot shake your hand or do an elbow bump.) while your family takes a photo, then proceed to the photo backdrop and pause for the professional photographer. You will walk down the opposite ramp and leave the CMAC building. If you would like to watch the rest of the students, you will be directed to available seats. Remain seated until the ceremony is complete.

Student Life will have a gift for each graduate after you leave the CMAC building. If the weather is nice, you and your guests may walk the trails and grounds and take more photos. Please maintain social distance from other groups. A recording of the procession for each ceremony will be posted by Monday, May 24.