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2009 Graduation Information:

The annual commencement ceremony for the Scott Air Force Base Campus will be held on Thursday June 18, 2009, 7 p.m., at the Scott Club. 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 $50 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 4, 2009).


• 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, S, M, L), anticipated degree, and student number. We must receive all cap and gown order information by April 9, 2009!


• Students who have completed all degree requirements and graduated since the 2008 ceremony may participate in the 2009 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 2009 graduation ceremony.


• 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 pending no more than two classes. All classes must be completed by the end of the Summer 2009 term.


• Students graduating in July 2009 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 your 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 2009 term, student will be charged an additional $50 diploma fee, unless a valid requesting for extension is submitted by letter to the Park office no later than July 17, 2009.

Graduation Timeline – Important Dates:

Friday April 3, 3 p.m., OR Saturday April 4, 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 2009 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 4, 2009 – Complete your diploma (graduation) application.

April 9, 2009 – 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 at scot@park.edu).

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

May 12, 2009 – 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 19, 2009 – Deadline to notify the Scott Campus Center office with the number of guests you plan to invite; adhering to this deadline will allow us to plan for ceremony seating. If your guests need base passes, please contact us with the first, middle, and last name of all individuals over the age of 15 who will be attending. We must have this information well in advance to ensure that the Security Forces has ample time to process base passes.

Thursday, June 11 -- Graduation Practice. 5:15 p.m., Scott Club. 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 18, 2009 – Graduation!   Dress code: Business attire.
Graduates meet at 5:00 p.m. on June 18 at the Scott Club. 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.)

Graduation Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Scott Club Ballroom. Doors will open at 6:30.

Graduation Reception: Immediately following the ceremony. Faculty, graduates and guests are invited to the reception.

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 2009. 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, 2009. 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 24 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:

*PINNACLE Membership - application available in the Park office. Selection process:

• Application may be submitted NLT 15 February and 15 October.


• Senior status (must submit application prior to graduation).


• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.


• Demonstrate leadership, persistence, and future promise. Supporting letters or certificates to be submitted with application.


• The Academic Advisory Council selects the new member. If selected, a $20 membership fee is required. Only 15% of non-traditional student population may hold membership in PINNACLE.


• Honoree will receive a lapel pin, a hand-lettered certificate of membership, and a letter of congratulations.

*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 $35 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.