Congratulations
to the Class of 2024!

We are delighted to announce that Commencement ("graduation") will take place this year at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan. It is a beautiful venue and a perfect setting to celebrate this important milestone in our students’ lives. 

Thursday, June 13
Radio City Music Hall 
1260 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) 
Between W. 50th and W. 51st Streets 
New York, NY 10020 

Directions to Radio City Music Hall are available here. 

Students who completed their studies in the Fall 2023 or Winter 2024 semester, as well as those who will do so in the Spring 2024 semester will participate at Commencement on June 13th.

Our "August Grads" -- those completing their degree requirements during the Spring semester -- will walk at Commencement and hear their name called just like the other grads. Understandably, they will not receive their diploma nor have program completion reflected on their transcript until all degree requirements are met. (See below for more information about diplomas.)

Those finishing their studies in the Fall 2024 semester will participate in next year's Commencement (June 2025).

Our St. Lucia campus graduates will be celebrated at a separate Commencement there in October. 

Graduates participating in Commencement are required to wear a gown with cap/tassel and hood purchased through our vendor, Oak Hall. 

Here is the link to purchase your cap and gown:  Click here for the Oak Hall ordering website. 

Six important things to know:

1.    You MUST use your College email address when asked to provide an email on the ordering site. Do not use third-party platforms like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.

2.    Friday, May 10th (5:00 pm NYC time) is the deadline to place an order with guaranteed delivery by graduation day to addresses in the continental U.S.

3.    It’s better to order early. Once the spring arrives and they get very busy fulfilling orders from graduates at hundreds of colleges across the country, they will prioritize shipments to students graduating in May before those graduating in June. That means you may not get your regalia until early June if you order closer to the deadline.

4.    We have heard that Oak Hall, our cap and gown vendor, does not send out a purchase confirmation email. They only send out an email once it has been shipped.

5.    Very important for international graduates: If you are planning to attend Commencement, we strongly recommend that you have your regalia shipped to a family member or friend in the U.S. as Oak Hall does not guarantee on-time delivery to international addresses.

6.   Gowns, hoods, or stoles may not be altered with decorations or other customization. You may, however, decorate the top of your cap. 

It's very important that you order your regalia on time. Only graduates in the proper, designated attire will be permitted to participate in Commencement.

All graduates and guests wishing to attend Commencement are required by Radio City Music Hall to have a ticket. 

The venue only issues e-tickets now, so graduates will be required to have the Ticketmaster and MSG apps on their phone to receive their tickets. At least one person in each arriving party of guests will need to do so as well. 

We will have a lot more information about the ticketing process as we get closer to spring. 

Number of Guest Tickets
We do not yet know how many tickets will be available for graduates' guests. We expect to make that announcement in mid-May. 

Important Note About Children 
Children two years old and above are required by the venue to have their own ticket. Unfortunately, we cannot issue any exemptions to that requirement. Babies and toddlers under two years old do not need a ticket, but they are required to stay on a guest's lap if they don't have one.

 

There will be two separate ceremonies held on June 13th to accommodate our sizable graduating class and graduates’ guests. One will be held mid-morning and the other in the afternoon.  

Graduates will be assigned to attend a specific ceremony, which will be based on the academic school that coincides with their major. (For example, all undergraduate majors within the School of Criminal and Social Justice will walk together at a specific ceremony).

We will announce the ceremony assignments as we get closer to the spring. 

We do not distribute diplomas at Commencement. Instead, they will be mailed out to students. 

It takes approximately two months after the completion of your last semester for the diplomas to be ready. We need a little time to confirm your credentials and print those beautiful documents.

There will not be a rehearsal prior to Commencement.

Don't worry -- we will let you know where to go and what to do on your big day! You'll be absolutely fine without a practice run. 

As part of our annual Commencement tradition, we begin each ceremony with a Parade of Flags representing the heritage and roots of the students in our graduating class.

The flag-bearers for each country are determined by lottery.

Students interested in carrying a flag must complete this form by 11:59 pm (New York time) on Sunday, June 2nd.

One student will be randomly chosen among those who enter this lottery to carry each country’s flag. FYI: The U.S. flag is traditionally carried by a student-veteran.

NOTE: You must use your College email address to access the form. Only email addresses ending with "@monroecollege.edu" will be granted permission to fill out and submit the form.

As part of our Commencement tradition, President Jerome will be giving a “shout out” during his Commencement remarks to family members graduating together from Monroe. 

If you are graduating with your husband, wife, father, brother, sister, grandmother, uncle, cousin – or anyone in your family – and want to be included, please email graduation@monroecollege.edu with the following information:

• Your names
• Your relationship to each other
• Degree types and majors

For example:

• Mary Frank and Rhonda Wright (cousins)
• Mary (Bachelor’s in Human Services)
• Rhonda (Associates in Criminal Justice)

We do not have any plans at this time for formal portrait sittings on campus. 

However, there will be an opportunity to pose for a photo at Radio City Music Hall and as part of Student Activities’ graduation-related programming later this spring. Details will be announced soon. Keep watching your College email for updates!

In keeping with our Commencement tradition, classes will not be held on Thursday, June 13th. 

College offices remain open.

A class ring is a wonderful way to remember your time at Monroe.

Balfour is our official class ring jeweler and they have some lovely designs to fit nearly any taste and budget. 

Class rings are available for purchase online here. When asked for our college representative's number, please specify 1528.

Please feel free to reach out to Bonnie Shapiro, our Balfour representative, directly at bonnie.shapiro@balfour.com with any questions about the class rings or to order one.

ORDER YOUR CLASS RING

Please see here to see our graduation-related FAQs.

Our Graduation Committee is happy to answer any questions that you may have related to graduation. 

Feel free to email us at graduation@monroecollege.edu or via jruegger@monroecollege.edu.