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2010 Graduation Information:

The annual commencement ceremony for the Scott Air Force Base Campus will be held on Thursday June 17, 2010, 7 p.m., in the Tuscany Ballroom at the Regency Conference Center in O’Fallon, Illinois. (This is a new location for the ceremony.) This ceremony is an appropriate way to recognize this significant achievement in your life – the completion of your college degree! The following information should help you to successfully fulfill the numerous steps involved in applying for graduation.

• A diploma (graduation) application and a $75 fee are required two terms prior to completing your degree. The application fee pays for your diploma, cap & gown, ceremony, and reception (application should be completed by April 2, 2010).


• Within one week of submitting your diploma application, please stop by our Park office or send us an e-mail at scot@park.edu to complete a cap and gown order form if you plan to participate in the graduation ceremony. (There is no additional charge for cap and gown rental.) If you choose to send us an e-mail, please include your height, weight, hat size (for example, 6 7/8, 7 ½, etc.), anticipated degree, and student number. (PLEASE NOTE: Old caps and gowns cannot be worn, as the University will switch to a different color this year.) We must receive all cap and gown order information by April 9, 2010!


• Students who have completed all degree requirements and graduated since the 2009 ceremony may participate in the 2010 ceremony. Please contact us with the information in the paragraph above, and meet all deadlines listed on this page.


• The WCT must be completed and you may not have more than six credit hours pending by the end of the Spring 2 term in order to participate in the 2010 graduation ceremony. (You must be registered in any final courses in the Summer 2010 term.)


• Students planning to test out of a course by taking a CLEP, DANTES, or Excelsior must complete testing prior to submitting the diploma application.


• All official transcripts from other schools must be submitted prior to completing a diploma application in order to receive a comprehensive evaluation.


• Students will be allowed to participate in the June graduation ceremony if they have met the requirements listed above and are registered in no more than two classes. All classes must be completed by the end of the Summer 2010 term.


• Students graduating in July 2010 will not be recognized for academic honors at the June commencement ceremony, since they will not have completed their degrees at the time of the ceremony. Appropriate honors will be listed on the diploma and official transcript once all degree requirements are completed. (See below for more information on academic honors.)


• An actual diploma is not presented at the graduation ceremony. Diplomas are granted one term after the last required grade is posted in the student's audit. Allow approximately 10 weeks after you complete our last class to receive your diploma. Park office personnel will contact you once your diploma has been received in the office. (Please make sure that your phone number and mailing address are up to date!)


• If a student fails to complete degree requirements by the end of the Summer 2010 term, student will be charged an additional $75 diploma fee, unless a valid requesting for extension is submitted by letter to the Park office no later than July 16, 2010.

Graduation Timeline – Important Dates:

Friday March 19, 3 p.m., OR Saturday March 20, 1 p.m., Education Center – Informational meetings. Topics for discussion: Evaluate audits, graduation requirements, announcement card and graduation photo information, and dress code for the ceremony. Students planning to graduate in 2010 should plan to attend one of these meetings. (NOTE: If you haven’t submitted a diploma application by March 15th please send an e-mail to us at scot@park.edu to confirm your attendance.)

April 2, 2010 – Complete your diploma (graduation) application.

April 9, 2010 – Cap and gown orders are due to the Scott office (stop by to complete a cap and gown order form or send us and e-mail atscot@park.edu).

Late April -- Graduation announcements will be available for purchase through the Herff-Jones company ( https://www1.herffjones.com/college/graduation/)

May 12, 2010 – Deadline to notify the office of the name of your honored guest for the graduation program. Each graduate is allowed the option to designate one person, who has provided outstanding support through the graduate’s college studies, as an honored guest. The honored guest will have his or her name listed in the printed program next to the graduate’s name. We need the names in advance so that we may prepare the program for printing.

May 17, 2010 – Deadline to notify the Scott Campus Center office with the number of guests who plan to attend; adhering to this deadline will allow us to plan for ceremony seating. (NOTE: Since the ceremony will now be held off-base we no longer need names of guests as there won’t be any base passes required.)

May 17, 2010 – Deadline to take advantage of special pricing on rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn, which adjoins the Regency Conference Center in O’Fallon, Illinois. The hotel has set aside a limited number of rooms for us at a rate of $99 per night. You must call the hotel directly by May 17 to take advantage of the special rate: (618) 624-4499. For hotel information visit their website at www.stlouisofallonil.hgi.com/. This website contains information on amenities and directions.

Thursday, June 10 -- Graduation Practice. 5:30 p.m., at the Regency Conference Center, 360 Regency Park Drive, O’Fallon, Illinois. Students must be on time for rehearsal. Final information on the ceremony and reception will be discussed, and we will rehearse the graduation procession and diploma ceremony. Caps and gowns will also be issued at this time.

Thursday June 17, 2010 – Graduation! Dress code: Business attire.
Graduates will meet at 5:15 p.m. on June 17 at the Regency Conference Center, 360 Regency Park Drive, O’Fallon, Illinois. THIS IS A CHANGE IN LOCATION! Group and individual photos will be taken at this time, and last-minute instructions will be given. (Photo packages may be ordered the night of the ceremony; see below.)

Graduation Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Regency Conference Center Tuscany Ballroom. Doors will open at 6:15.

Graduation Reception: A professional photographer will be available for individual or family photographs. She will also take a class photo as indicated above, and will take a photo of each graduate as you receive your diploma. You may order photos the night of the ceremony, or may order them from her website later (www.tssphotography.com/dnn/banning). Photo package information will be available at the rehearsal on June 10 and on the night of the ceremony.

The Gail Livingstone Outstanding Graduate Award:

This award is presented annually to the Park graduate who best embodies the spirit of its namesake, Gail Livingstone. The graduate must have a GPA of 3.5 or above and complete the degree not later than Spring I 2010. The application form is available from our Scott Campus Center office. The graduate must list his/her significant accomplishments and outstanding qualities, and type a one page letter justifying why he/she should be selected as the outstanding graduate. Include recommendations from teachers, employers, etc. Please submit all required documents to the Scott Campus Center prior to April 9, 2010. The student will be honored at the commencement ceremony with a certificate and plaque, and his/her name will be engraved on the Outstanding Graduate plaque on permanent display in the Scott Campus Center office.

Graduation with Honors:

• Graduates must have at least 45 earned credit hours from Park


• Honors are granted (based on the cumulative Park grade point average) as follows:


• Cum Laude -- 3.5 to 3.699


• Magna Cum Laude -- 3.7 to 3.899


• Summa Cum Laude -- 3.9 to 4.0


• Students who complete 30 to 44 graded hours and accumulate a 3.75 or better grade point average do not earn Latin honors, but will be honored by having the notation "With Distinction" entered on their academic records.


• Students graduating with honors may wear gold honor cords with their caps and gowns, and will have their appropriate honors listed in the printed commencement program.

Honor Society Information:

*Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society in Social Science - application available in the Park office.

• All student candidates will matriculate with Park University.


• Grade point average of 3.7 or better.


• Have at least 20 Park University semester hours in social sciences. Only courses with the following prefixes will be accepted in Pi Gamma Mu applications: AN, CJ, EC, GG, HS, HI, PO, PS, and SO.


• Academically ranked in the upper 35% of their class.


• Junior or senior status.


• No record of academic failure in the social sciences.


• Student candidates may submit an application on a continuous basis throughout the year.


• A one-time fee of $40 is required when submitting the application.


• Honorees will receive a certificate of membership, a one-year subscription to International Social Science Review and the PI GAMMA MU newsletter; a membership card; and a key pin.