UH POSTPONES SPRING COMMENCEMENT

Commencement Speaker

Jane Chu served as the eleventh chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, having recently completed her term in June 2018. With a background in arts administration and philanthropy, Chu is also an accomplished artist and musician.
 
During Chu’s four-year tenure at the National Endowment for the Arts, Chu traveled to all 50 states, 200 communities and made more than 400 site visits to visit visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, writers, arts educators and arts administrators. The agency awarded $430 million over the four years to support the arts in 16,000 communities covering all 50 states, U.S. territories, and in every Congressional District. She led the agency through increases in the arts endowment budget for three consecutive fiscal years (2016, 2017, 2018). The NEA’s Creative Forces military healing arts initiative expanded from two sites to 12 across the nation, to connect arts therapy with service members and veterans with brain recovery conditions. She launched another new program – Creativity Connects – to connect $2 million in grants for art programs that linked with science, technology, health, agriculture, aging, and other non-arts sectors, and she cultivated two international performing arts exchange programs with Cuba and China. Chu launched a national Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for high school students to identify the next generation of songwriters from across the nation, and provide these students with opportunities to be mentored by Broadway artists. The agency was also the recipient of a 2016 Special Tony Award and a 2018 Drama League Award for its support of theater and musical theater, as well as two Emmy nominations for the creation of a storybank of personal arts stories from folks across the nation. The NEA was ranked number one in 2016 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, in the small agency category.
 
Prior to the National Endowment for the Arts, Chu served as the president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, overseeing a $413 million campaign to construct and open the performing arts center in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. She now serves as an arts advisor to PBS, identifying opportunities for public media to broaden access and representation in its presentation of the arts to audiences nationwide.
 
Jane Chu was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and raised in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She studied music growing up, receiving bachelor’s degrees in piano performance and music education from Ouachita Baptist University, as well as a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from Southern Methodist University. Additionally, Chu holds an MBA from Rockhurst University, a Ph.D. in philanthropic studies from Indiana University, as well as four honorary doctorate degrees.

The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts is thrilled to welcome Dr. Chu to the University of Houston to share her story of success and a deep love for the arts at the 2020 spring commencement.

Schedule

Live Streaming

http://www.uh.edu/commencement/commencement-live/arts/

Guest Information

When inviting guests, please be advised of the following:

Doors will open one hour before the ceremony.

Doors will close if maximum capacity is reached. This decision is made by the UH fire marshal and not the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts.

Parking

Free parking is available in Lot 16B and in the stadium parking garage.
Parking Map

Guests with Mobility Impairments

Special seating is available, but limited. Please plan to arrive early. Fertitta Center doors will open 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled opening time for guests with mobility impairment so they may be comfortably seated.

In order to accommodate as many mobility-impaired guests as possible, there will be a strict limit of one guest to accompany the mobility-impaired guest in the reserved seating area. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause your group.

Photographs

Family and friends should feel free to bring cameras and video recorders and take as many pictures as they desire. However, they must remain in their seats during the ceremony. Guests will not be allowed to stand in the aisles, and under no circumstances will they be permitted on the floor of the hall.

We also suggest that family photographers take photos at home and at other locations on campus prior to or after the ceremony.

A professional photographer will be on hand taking individual photos during the ceremony. The photographer will send the proofs via email to the graduation candidate so that prints can be ordered. The photographer will have the email address approved by the student on the walk card used during the ceremony.

Graduation Candidates

Applying to Graduate

Students must apply for graduation on myUH to be considered for the degree. Applying for graduation and/or participating in Commencement does not guarantee the degree will be approved. Conferral of degree is contingent upon successful completion of all coursework and degree requirements, regardless of attendance at graduation events. Students are assessed the application fee(s) for each application they submit and for each degree they are seeking.

Printed University Commencement Program

We make every effort to ensure that all graduating students who applied on time are listed in the Commencement program.

If you apply for graduation during the LATE application period your name MAY NOT be listed in the Commencement program.

Please also be aware of the following information:

• If at any time you have requested privacy protection for your academic records, your name cannot be published in the program by law unless you have indicated on your application for graduation that you desire your name be included in the program.
• Although your name might not be included in the printed program, you will still be individually recognized by name as you cross the stage.

Academic Regalia

Academic regalia (the traditional black mortarboard cap and black gown) are required for all graduates. The University of Houston has selected Official UH Regalia for undergraduates and master’s degrees candidates. We strongly encourage you to purchase your regalia at the UH Bookstore.

Important: Regalia and regalia item must be purchased prior to Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Commencement. Cap and gown orders may be placed online at herff.ly/uh or through the UH Bookstore. Online orders must be placed by March 21, 2020. A cap and gown is a requirement to participate in the Commencement ceremony. Students not attired in appropriate regalia will not be allowed to participate in Commencement.

Bachelor graduates and candidates:

• Must wear the appropriate black Commencement gown and black mortarboard cap with Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts tassel.
• Must wear tassel on the right side of the mortarboard.

Master graduates and candidates:

• Must wear the appropriate black Commencement gown and black mortarboard cap with Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts tassel.
• Must also rent and wear the appropriate hood.
• Must wear tassel on the left side of the mortarboard.

Doctoral graduates and candidates:

• Must bring the appropriate black Commencement gown and black tam with tassel.
• Must bring the appropriate hood with you.
• Please contact Stacia Morgan Dunn at slmorgan@uh.edu regarding the hooding ceremony process.

For information regarding Regalia prices, please visit the UH Bookstore website.

Invitations

Students can order personalized invitations and announcements from Herff-Jones Company, the authorized vendor for the University of Houston.

Cougar Spirit Cord

Don’t be left out at graduation!

Give to the University of Houston and get your Cougar Spirit Cord today!

The Cougar Spirit Cord is a symbol of your pride and a way to help make more scholarships available to next year’s students or show support for a program that’s made a difference in your UH experience.

Make a minimum donation ($20.20) to any Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Commencement department or program of your choice and wear the cord at Commencement to show your Cougar Pride!

What to Expect on Commencement Day

Arrive: Graduation candidates should arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. dressed in cap and gown in order to assemble into degree groups and to receive final instructions. Note: If you are late, there is no guarantee that you will walk across the stage.

University Commencement for the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Ceremony

• University Commencement for the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Ceremony starts at 7:00 p.m.
• Processional line-up starts at 6:00 p.m.

The closer it is to the starting time of the ceremony, parking becomes more challenging and will take more time to go through the process to get in line. Please plan for enough time to travel and arrive safely.

DO NOT BRING any purses, bags, umbrellas, etc. There is no storage space (secure or otherwise) for you to leave your personal belongings.

Where: Fertitta Center (ceremony), Athletics Alumni Center O’Quinn Great Hall (line up)

Name Cards:  Upon entering room, report to the table identified with your major/department to pick up your graduation walk card. Do not lose this card — You will need to present it during the ceremony before walking across the stage!

Recognition of Graduates and Candidates: Recognition will proceed in department alphabetical order. Each graduate will be announced starting with doctoral, then master’s, then bachelor’s.

As you approach the edge of the stage:

1. Give your name card to the person collecting the cards.
2. Walk across the stage to shake hands with the Dean of Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Commencement and chairperson of your department.
3. Continue to behind stage where you will, again, have your picture taken by a professional photographer.
4. Go back to be seated. Please note, this will probably not be the same seat you had before crossing the stage. Do not bring/leave any valuables at your seat.
5. Remain seated until all students have been recognized. (You will not be allowed to leave the ceremony early. Please be respectful of all participants in the ceremony.)
6. Follow the person in front of you when the recessional begins.

The line should be continuous. Staff will direct candidates to the stage, a few rows at a time. Many people have volunteered to help direct this special event. Just follow their instructions, watch the person in front of you and enjoy family members, friends, cheering, clapping and flashing cameras. Have a great time!

Baccalaureate Candidates Graduating with Honors

Once the spring 2020 semester has officially closed and all grades have been posted, your honors status will be updated accordingly and will be engraved upon your diploma.

Undergraduate students who have completed the graduation requirements of the Honors College Commencement may graduate with special honors designations. Please see your advisor in the Honors College for more information.

Undergraduate students who successfully complete a senior honors thesis/project and who are not members of the Honors College Commencement graduate with ”Honors in Major”

Catalog Beginning Fall 2010 or After

Students graduating with University Requirements (aka: Career Requirements or General Requirements) from the 2010 catalog or after:

Undergraduate students who complete their degree requirements will graduate with the stated academic honors if they achieve the following grade point averages earned in the last fifty-four (54) hours (all of which must be A, B, C, letter grade courses) completed at the University of Houston. Grades of S, U, I and W are not assigned grade point values and are not used in the computation of the grade point average.

Further, the honors calculation will include all hours completed in the semester in which the first of those final fifty-four (54) hours was completed.

Where is my diploma?

Diplomas will be mailed out 6 to 8 weeks after graduation. Diplomas will not be mailed to students who have an overdue financial balance on their UH account. All balances must be paid in full before the diploma will be mailed to the student. If you do not receive your diploma, call the Office of University Registrar at 713-743-1010.

Do you need documentation of your degree for a job or grad school?

• If you are applying to graduate programs or if you have a job offer for which your degree posting is required, you may request that your degree processing be expedited.
• To do so, you must supply documentation of urgent need to your major department advisor. The documentation should be addressed to you and should include a deadline. 
• No reviews can post prior to the close of the term.

Diplomas are mailed directly to students at the most current address provided through their myUH student account. The diploma printing company will also send email notifications to diploma recipients indicating when diplomas have been mailed. It's important to keep contact information updated in myUH to avoid shipment delays.

Alumni graduating as of summer 2008 and/or who have placed order(s) for additional diplomas from other graduating semesters, can check their Diploma Order Status online.

Please note: Effective September 1, 2009, there is a $25 fee for each additional diploma ordered (postmarked by received on or after this date). This fee does not apply to the initial diploma mailed upon graduation, but will apply to additional quantities as requested via the diploma order form.*

*The fee is applicable to diplomas requested as a result of a diploma name change. Diploma names must be provided at the time of completing the online graduation application. Failure to do so may result in a $25 diploma order fee for subsequent name changes.

Additional Questions?

For questions related to the status of your application and the completion of your degree, please contact your major advisor.

For questions related to the University Commencement for the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, please contact:

Carrie Young, Director of Academic Affairs and Student Success
cyoung11@uh.edu