1 / 17

Streamlining Commencement

Streamlining Commencement. A ceremony in less than 100 minutes that pleases everyone!. Portland Community College. Rebecca Mathern , Registrar Admissions, Registration, Records, Graduation PCC Facts 24,000 FTE Approximately 3500 graduates annually

walker
Download Presentation

Streamlining Commencement

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Streamlining Commencement A ceremony in less than 100 minutes that pleases everyone!

  2. Portland Community College Rebecca Mathern, Registrar Admissions, Registration, Records, Graduation PCC Facts • 24,000 FTE • Approximately 3500 graduates annually • Approximately 100+ degrees and certificates • Approximately 700+ commencement participants

  3. Commencement History Prior to 2006, commencement at PCC had these challenges: • Student Records was solely responsible • We didn’t deviate from past years • Little or no interaction with other departments • It looked like (well, it is) a hockey arena!

  4. What was wrong? • Poor lighting • No music • No guest speaker • Processional took too long • Line-up seemed too complicated • Faculty sat in front of students • Overall, it was just plain bland

  5. How do we change? • Leadership change provided FRESH EYES (Dean of Enrollment Services) • This was the vision • District President wanted this event to be a Signature Event for the college • This was the permission • College wide committee that offers broad insight and direction for the event • This was the breadth and depth of the expertise we needed

  6. Cosmetic Improvements Lighting Pipe and drape Mace

  7. Less Hockey, More Diplomas

  8. Budgetary Improvements • Honors cords - cost $3200 • Students now purchase their own • Saved money to rent Jumbotrons • $1600 for rental • $1000 for staff support • Graduation Receptions - cost $2000 • Only 20 students attended at all 4 campuses • Lighting • $800 for professional lighting rental • $1200 for lighting and stagehand staff

  9. Communication Improvements • Internal Communication • Planning lists offered month by month breakdown of tasks and communication needs. • External Communication • Electronic communication reminders encouraging students to apply for graduation and sign up for commencement early! • Online RSVP for students rather than a paper RSVP form • Promotional news releases and website improvements

  10. Goodwill Improvements • Grad Fairs • Each campus hosted fairs that celebrated our graduates • Vendors encouraged students to participate in commencement • Phi Theta Kappa • Jostens • Graduation office • Bookstore • FREE (really!) shuttle service from campuses to the commencement facility • Available for students, faculty, staff and guests • Over 450 users during 2010 commencement • Saved $8/vehicle for facility parking • Campus parking free (that day)

  11. Time Improvements • Music • 1 hour of wonderful jazz music by student band prior to event • No music (except national anthem and processional/recessional) during the ceremony • Speakers • Student Speaker • Faculty Speaker • Awards • No external non-graduate related events at the ceremony • Processional/Recessional • Dramatic time savings

  12. Hackett mechanism • Get them in and get them out- FAST! • Assign students a number • Number the chairs • Number the rows (on the floor) • Have an adequate number of marshals • Processional • 20 minutes reduced to 6 minutes • Recessional • 15 minutes reduced to 4 minutes

  13. Line Up and Processional • Line-up by degree/major • Stage Manager • Photos to prepare students

  14. Conferring Degrees • Students do not receive diplomas- only covers. • No name/diploma match is required. • Two name readers

  15. Recessional • It’s the “organized free-for-all” • One the rostrum group leaves the stage, the marshals lead their lines out as quickly as possible! • Center aisle is blocked.

  16. Feedback and Next Steps Current Feedback • Faculty and Staff LOVE the event • Everyone is still energized by the time the event is over Next Steps • Additional piping and drape for staging area to prevent stage mishaps from being visible to guests • Rent a larger room for student staging area • Rotate layout of students and stage for longer more full use of “arena”

  17. Summary • Questions, Comments, Idea Sharing • Find us online • www.pcc.edu/graduate • Contact me with questions • Rebecca Mathern • rmathern@pcc.edu • 971.722.7195

More Related