PREPARING FOR COMMENCEMENT
Congratulations to all eligible spring 2023candidates for graduation! Please make note of the dates and times below. The following guidelines will assist you in preparing for commencement.
GRADUATION FAIR
Seniors graduating in May 2023 are invited to attend the Graduation Fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 4 and April 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Mack Student Center Atrium, North Campus. At the Graduation Fair, you will be able to order your academic attire, schedule your senior portraits, and ask questions regarding commencement. If you are unable to attend the Graduation Fair, please follow the instructions in the Ceremony Attendance and Academic Attire Orders paragraph below.
CEREMONY ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC ATTIRE ORDERS
To confirm graduation ceremony attendance and order academic attire, please visit hofstra.edu/academicattire You will be directed to the Hofstra portal. Scroll down to enter your ceremony, height, and weight, and carefully check your order; click submit. You will receive an email from the Commencement Office indicating that your order for academic attire has been received. Orders for academic attire must be received by midnight on Friday, April 7, 2023. If you received this commencement brochure after April 15, or did not place an order before this date and the academic attire ordering deadline has passed, we will have additional academic attire available. Please follow the instructions in the Academic Attire Distribution paragraph.
ACADEMIC ATTIRE DISTRIBUTION
Academic attire distribution is Wednesday and Thursday, May 17 and May 18, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. in the Physical Education Center main gym Attire may also be picked up an hour before your ceremony on Sunday, May 21, at the Mack Physical Education Center (where you will be lining up for the ceremony). Maurice A. Deane School of Law graduation candidates can also pick up their academic attire at the Mack Physical Education Center during the pickup times listed above, or an hour before their ceremony on Monday, May 22, at the Mack Physical Education Center. There is no fee for the academic attire, and it is yours to keep after the ceremony. Please note: Requests for additional undergraduate ceremony tickets can be made when you pick up your cap and gown.
When you arrive at academic attire distribution, you will be asked to swipe your HofstraCard or provide your Hofstra ID number. You will be given an index card (see card colors below). Please bring this card with you to the ceremony. This card will be used to place you in the procession, to announce your name at the ceremony, and to identity you as Island Photography takes your picture. Check the card to be sure your name is listed correctly. If your name is difficult to pronounce, please write it phonetically.
Please check your academic attire package. ALL candidates for graduation should have a cap, gown, and tassel. Master’s, advanced certificate, doctoral, and School of Law graduation candidates should have a hood representing their school in their academic attire package. Doctoral students will have tams (circular caps) instead of mortarboard caps.
CARD COLORS BY SCHOOL
Blue Card (Undergraduate)
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs; School of Education; School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts; School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics); School of Health Professions and Human Services; Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
Green Card (Undergraduate)
Frank G. Zarb School of Business
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication
Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science
Yellow Card (Master’s, Advanced Certificates, and Doctoral Degrees)
All schools, including the Maurice A. Deane School of Law. Note: Law degree candidates receive their yellow card at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 2022, at the Mack Physical Education Center.
HOOD COLORS BY SCHOOL
Master’s Degrees
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – White
School of Education – Light Blue
School of Health Professions and Human Services – Sage Green
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies – Apricot
Frank G. Zarb School of Business – Drab
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication – Crimson
Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science – Orange
Doctoral Degrees
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – Dark Blue
School of Education – Light Blue
Maurice A. Deane School of Law – Purple
School of Health Professions and Human Services – Sage Green (Audiology)
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies- Apricot
SPRING 2023 COMMENCEMENT WEEKEND SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 18
7:00 p.m. Lavender Graduates Celebration Greenhouse, Mack Student Center, North Campus
FRIDAY, MAY 19
4 p.m. Celebration of Scholarly Excellence John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus (Attendanceisbyinvitationonly.)
5:30 p.m. Senior Class Toast Main Dining Room, Mack Student Center, North Campus
7:30 p.m. First Generation Graduates Celebration Greenhouse, Mack Student Center, North Campus
SATURDAY, MAY 20
11 a.m. Graduates of Color Celebration Multipurpose Room, Mack Student Center, North Campus
SUNDAY, MAY 21 AllceremoniesareheldattheDavidS.MackSportsand ExhibitionComplex,NorthCampus.
9 a.m. Undergraduate Ceremony
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
(Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs; School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts; School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; School of Education); School of Health Professions and Human Services; Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
1 p.m.
Frank G. Zarb School of Business
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science
5 p.m. Graduate Ceremony
Master’s, Advanced Certificate, and Doctoral – All Schools (except Maurice A. Deane School of Law)
MONDAY, MAY 22
7 p.m. Maurice A. Deane School of Law Ceremony
COMMENCEMENT GUESTS
Guests arriving at the Mack Sports Complex are encouraged to arrive early and travel light. All guests entering the complex will be subject to routine security measures, including metal detector screening and bag searches. The Mack Sports Complex does not provide an area to check bags, coats, or any other personal belongings. Entrances, which will be clearly marked, have been designated to assist with the flow of guests entering the building.
Entrance E – Accessible • Entrances B, C, and D – General admission
Graduates and guests are reminded that proper and appropriate conduct is expected at all times.
TICKET INFORMATION (UNDERGRADUATE ONLY)
Each spring undergraduate degree candidate will receive five (5) assigned seat tickets. The Graduate and Maurice A. Deane School of Law ceremonies do not require tickets.
Requests for additional undergraduate tickets can be obtained by placing your name on a lottery list during the aforementioned academic attire distribution dates.
Undergraduates may request as many additional tickets as desired, BUT when the lottery is conducted, each recipient will be awarded only two (2) tickets. Once everyone on the list has been awarded 2 tickets, and if additional tickets remain, then the lottery will be conducted again using the same method of 2 tickets being awarded.
Lottery winners will notified via their Hofstra Pride email beginning Friday, May 19, 2023, at 10 a.m. Lottery winners must respond to that email, indicating that they will take the tickets. If there is no response within 2 hours, the tickets will be awarded to the next person on the lottery list. All tickets must be picked up by the requesting student at the reception desk located in Room 112 Mack Student Center by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 19, 2023
All the commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed at hofstra.edu/commencement.
GRADUATION LINEUP
All candidates for graduation will line up in the Mack Physical Education Center, adjacent to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, North Campus, one hour before their ceremony on Sunday, May 21. Maurice A. Deane School of Law degree candidates will line up one hour before their ceremony on Monday, May 22. You will be instructed to stand behind the stanchion with the placard indicating your school. Hofstra staff will be available to assist in lining up candidates in proper order and to answer any lastminute questions.
LENGTH OF
CEREMONY
• Each ceremony will last approximately 2 to 2 ½ hours
PHOTOS, FLOWERS, RINGS
Senior Portraits
Senior portraits will be taken by Prestige Portraits by Lifetouch on Monday, March 6, through Friday, March 10, and again on Monday April 10, through Friday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Weller Hall rooms 308 and 309. Please visit hofstra.edu/seniors to make an appointment.
Questions? Call 1-800-OUR-YEAR (687-9327) during normal business hours. Portraits will be taken in both business attire and academic attire (cap and gown will be provided). There is a $15 sitting fee, collected by Prestige Portraits by Lifetouch.
Island Photography will be taking photos at the commencement ceremonies. They will contact you at your Pride email when the proofs are ready.
Flowers
The Commencement Group will be selling flowers at the ceremony, or you can order them online at www.thecommencementgroup.com/hofstra. These flowers will be available for pickup near the entrance to the Mack Sports Complex prior to the commencement ceremony.
Rings and Diploma Frames
Information on class rings can be found at Balfour’s page at www.balfour.com/hofstra
Information regarding diploma frames, alumni gear, and gifts can be found on the Hofstra Bookstore website at www.hofstra.bncollege.com
Commemorative Class of 2023 sweatshirts and T-shirts are available for purchase at www.thecommencementgroup.com/hofstra
DIPLOMAS
The Office of Academic Records will notify you when your diploma is ready. It takes approximately three (3) months after graduation for the diploma to be processed. You can either pick it up in Room 207 Memorial Hall, South Campus, or have it mailed to you. Make sure your current address is on file.
Once again, congratulations! We hope you and your family enjoy the ceremony. If you have any questions, or if we can assist you in any way, please contact the Commencement Office at 516-463-4346 or graduation@hofstra.edu