Graduation Ceremony

Graduation ceremonies are held in the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center located at 505 West Pensacola Street. Panama City (FL) students can find information about the annual Panama City Spring graduation ceremony at: http://pc.fsu.edu/Students/Commencement-General-Information.

If you are a registered FSU student attending a commencement ceremony and require accommodations, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) at 850-644-9566 or oas@fsu.edu in advance to make special arrangements. If you are a guest attending a commencement ceremony and require accommodations, please visit Guest Services at the Civic Center during the event for assistance.

An ASL interpreter may be provided upon request with 2 weeks notice in advance. Closed captioning is also provided on the arena corner boards.

NOTE: Before degrees are awarded, your final semester grades must be recorded and records rechecked for total hours, quality points, and other degree requirements.
PARTICIPATION IN GRADUATION EXERCISES IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF GRADUATION.

Procedures and Etiquette

Ceremony Etiquette

The Commencement Ceremony is a most dignified event, whose traditions and regalia date from the thirteenth century. All participants are expected to exhibit courteous behavior and to observe the decorum merited by the occasion. Thank you for familiarizing yourself with the following notes on etiquette.

Arrival. Doors open one hour before the ceremony begins. Please arrive no later than thirty minutes before the ceremony begins. All graduates must present their Grad Pass and a photo ID to enter the Tucker Center. Afterwards, you will take the escalator down and follow the signs into the arena to find your seat.

Seating. Your seat assignment will be updated on your Grad Pass before the ceremony. An email notification will be sent when available to view with the seat assignment. After you find your seat, you may not walk around in the arena.

Departing. Graduates are expected to stay for the duration of the ceremony. The ceremony will last about an hour and a half.

Prohibited Items.

For the safety and security of our guests and graduates, the following items are prohibited:

All graduates and guests will be required to pass through metal detectors prior to entering the Civic Center.

Security personnel will remove students disrupting the ceremony.

Photos

GradImages Photography wil take several pictures of you during the ceremony. Following commencement, GradImages photographers will be circulating outside the venue to capture additional candid photographs of our graduates with their loved ones. The GradImages staff will be wearing red vests, so they'll be highly visible and easy to locate. Graduates can expect to receive their individual picture proofs by email within 18 to 24 hours of the graduation ceremony. Additionally, paper proofs are mailed through the U.S. Postal Service and can be expected to arrive within three or four days. Direct any questions about your photos to GradImages by calling (800) 261-2576 or by contacting a representative through www.gradimages.com.

Guests

• All Tucker Center doors open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony.
• Enter ONLY on the Concourse Level of the Tucker Center.
• At no time are guests permitted on the arena floor.
• Accessibility seating is available on the Concourse Level; approach the Tucker Center from the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Madison Street. Tucker Center parking is available at that entrance.

Guests should not leave until the ceremony concludes. Leaving causes disruption and noise, which disturbs those families whose graduate has not yet been recognized. Please arrange to meet your families at designated areas outside the civic center (i.e., flagpoles, plaza, gates).

Parking

Several parking options are available on days scheduled for commencement ceremonies. Please consult this detailed map for directions and additional instructions.