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Convocation Ceremony

Nursing Students looking up

 

Convocation is a ceremony held in recognition of the accomplishments of our nursing graduates. It is an opportunity for nursing graduates to celebrate their success with friends, family, and College of Nursing faculty and staff.

Following the May 2025 ceremony, the College of Nursing will be making changes to the format of our celebrations for candidates for graduation.

Upcoming Convocation Dates

Fall 2024

The College of Nursing Convocation ceremony for all Fall 2024 nursing graduates, Post Graduate certificate completers and Summer 2024 DNP graduates will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in the USA Mitchell Center. 

Students who plan to participate in the Fall 2024 Convocation should RSVP by completing the Convocation Participation Form.

Frequently Asked Questions

The USA Commencement ceremony is hosted by the Registrar to recognize not only College of Nursing graduates, but graduates from other USA colleges, as well. Conferral of degrees will take place during Commencement. Degree recipients will be recognized individually and walk the stage to receive a diploma cover. 

Post-graduate certificate recipients are not recognized at the University Commencement Ceremony because they already hold a degree. For more information regarding Commencement, please visit the Registrar’s graduation website.

The USA College of Nursing Convocation is a separate, special recognition ceremony hosted by the College to exclusively honor Nursing graduates. During this ceremony, Nursing graduates and Post- graduate Certificate completers are recognized for a variety of honors and awards related to the college. The event has a similar format to the University Commencement/Graduation but is not the official graduation ceremony. Academic regalia (cap and gown) is required. Graduates process in much like at the graduation ceremony. However, degrees are not conferred at Nursing Convocation but at the University ceremony. All graduates will receive a special pin from the Dean of the College of Nursing as you cross the stage to be recognized. DNP graduates will also be hooded by a faculty member on stage at Convocation.

Ceremony Information

The location of the ceremony is secured each semester and is subject to change. Graduates will be provided information on the date of the event through their JagMail account. 
The time of the ceremony is determined prior to each event and is based on the venue selected and other university activities. Graduates will be notified of the event start time through their JagMail account.
The Convocation ceremony will last approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Registration for graduates will begin two (2) hours prior to the start of the event. The location of convocation registration/check-in will be provided to graduates through their JagMail account. Guests are not allowed in the registration/check-in area.
Yes. A link will be posted on the College of Nursing Convocation website. The link will go live approximately 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. A link to the livestream will also be sent to graduates’ JagMail account.
Yes. Graduates are required to wear USA academic regalia over business casual or dress clothes. Comfortable shoes are recommended. If you have not already placed a regalia order, please call the USA Bookstore at 251-460-7012 or email am8260@bncollege.com. For questions regarding your order, you may also visit Graduate Supply's website at www.gradsupply.com/usa for more information. There is a "Contact Us" button at the bottom of the home page, as well as contact information at the bottom of the website’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page. 
Yes. GradImages will take a picture of you as you cross the stage and receive your pin from the Dean, as well as in front of a backdrop after you exit the stage. Photographs of DNP graduates being hooded will also be taken. GradImages will contact you after the ceremony with information about how to view your proofs and purchase your photos. 
Yes. Every participant will walk across the stage and receive a College of Nursing pin from Dr. Hall, Dean of the College of Nursing. 
Yes. Graduates with physical limitations will be directed to areas accommodating access to the stage for persons with walkers or wheelchairs and for others who may not be able to ascend/descend stairs. 
No. Degrees are conferred at the University Commencement ceremony. For more information on university commencement and diploma delivery, please see the registrar’s website. Diplomas are mailed by the Registrar. Post-graduate Certificates will be mailed by the College of Nursing.

Yes. DNP graduates will be hooded on stage during the Convocation ceremony. See information below regarding hooding and procession with the hood over one arm.

DNP Graduates: Please follow this to view a short video with instructions for the hooding process.

If you have any issues with the link, try to copy and paste the link into a different browser as the video format may not be compatible with some browsers. 

DNP graduates may also like to view the hooding process from a previous Convocation as a demonstration. This is a link to the Fall 2022 ceremony. DNP recognitions begin at approximately the 1:43:00 mark in the video.

Parking

Graduates will be provided parking information reflective of the venue selected. Parking information will be provided by the College through graduates’ JagMail account. Handicap parking will be available.
Graduates will be provided information for guest parking through their JagMail account. Parking information is based on the venue selected. Handicap parking will be available. 

Convocation Registration/Check-In

Registration will begin two hours prior to the start of the event. The location will be provided to graduates through their JagMail account. Graduates who arrive late will be placed at the end of the recognition processional.

Registration allows the college to anticipate the number of graduates to expect for the ceremony, ensuring the venue is large enough to hold all graduates and their guests. 

Check-in confirms the graduate is participating in the ceremony. At check-in, graduates will go directly to the registration table to receive a card with their name and line-up number. This card will be carried during the processional and presented to the reader for the graduate’s name to be announced during the ceremony. Do not misplace this card. Graduates who arrive late will be placed at the end of the recognition processional. 

Readers are volunteers who may not have experience pronouncing graduate’s names prior to the ceremony. Graduates are encouraged to add phonetic spelling to the card to assist the reader in pronouncing their names correctly.

Information for Guests

Not at this time. Depending on the venue selected for the ceremony, student will be notified of guest limits, as applicable. At this time, graduates may invite as many guests desired to celebrate their accomplishment. This will be subject to change if COVID-19 protocols need to be re-instated on campus or in an off-campus venue.
The doors to the venue will open one hour prior to the start of the ceremony. Guests will not be able to enter the venue prior to this time.

Yes. Handicap parking will be available and clearly marked at the venue. The venue will have wheelchair accessibility. Once inside the venue, ushers will direct guests to handicap accessible seating areas. 

Venue staff and student volunteers will be available to direct guests to available seating areas. Guests will not be allowed in the graduate registration/check-in area. No strollers, balloons, signs, confetti, silly string, streamer pops, air horns, laser pointers, weapons, alcohol, tobacco products, vaping, or noisemakers are allowed. 

Guest Behavior: To ensure all guests are able to hear and see the recognition of their graduate, guests are asked to be courteous to all by not making excessive noise when their graduate’s name is called. 

Personal Belongings

Please leave all personal items in a secure location or with your guests. The College of Nursing faculty and staff cannot be responsible for graduates’ personal belongings. Unattended personal items should not be left in the venue (check-in or recognition areas).

Information about the Mobile Area

 

Live Stream

The Spring 2024 CON Convocation Live Stream Link for the event on May 3, 2024. 

Location/Contact Information

Our mailing address is (for US postal delivery):
University of South Alabama
College of Nursing
5721 USA Drive N. Room 3068
Mobile, AL 36688-0002

Telephone: (251) 445-9400
FAX: (251) 445-9416

 

THE NURSING CONVOCATION PROGRAM IS NOT AN OFFICIAL GRADUATION LIST. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy in the Convocation program, printing deadlines may result in omission of some names and include the names of persons not completing graduation requirements as expected. Therefore, the Nursing Convocation program should not be used to determine a student’s academic or degree status. The university’s official registry for conferral of degrees is the student’s permanent academic record which is maintained by the Office of the Registrar.