Letter to Graduates

Congratulations to the Class of 2012!

How exciting it must be for you as you begin making preparations for this special day in your life.  This letter will provide you with the details regarding the commencement week-end activities.

Baccalaureate

Our 2012 Baccalaureate service will be held in Schaller Memorial Chapel at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 26.  Graduates are invited to sit with their families and friends at the Baccalaureate service.  Academic apparel will not be worn at this service.

Commencement

The 2012 Commencement ceremony will be held in Siebens Fieldhouse at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. Graduates should be in Schaller Chapel no later than 1:30 p.m. to assemble for the Commencement procession.  The Commencement procession will begin to move through the Victory Arch at 2:15 p.m. and enter Siebens Fieldhouse at 2:30 p.m. 

Attendance at Ceremonies

All graduates are expected to participate in the ceremonies. If you must be absent, please contact the site where you receive advising services.  The telephone numbers are:

  • Campus (Storm Lake) (1-800-383-2821, ext 2233 (Nila Houska) or e-mail houskan@bvu.edu
  • Carroll (1-712-792-8515)
  • Council Bluffs (1-800-798-0788)
  • Creston (1-800-556-7151)
  • Denison (1-800-672-2127)
  • Emmetsburg (1-800-861-8981)
  • Estherville (1-800-650-4346)
  • Fort Dodge (1-800-798-4881)
  • Iowa Falls (1-888-648-3840)
  • LeMars (1-888-546-9459)
  • Marshalltown (1-800-798-0076)
  • Mason City (1-800-798-8764)
  • Master’s (1-800-383-2821, ext. 2162 (Deb Lenhart) or e-mail lenhartd@bvu.edu
  • Newton (1-800-236-0484)
  • Online (1-800-383-2821, ext. 1893 (Laura Harris-Newhouse) or e-mail newhousel@bvu.edu
  • Ottumwa (1-800-682-8208)
  • Spencer (1-800-798-8090)
  • Spirit Lake (1-800-670-5582)                         

Caps and Gowns

Our supplier for the 2012 Commencement cap and gown orders is the Herff-Jones Co.  Graduates can place their cap/gown order one of two ways:

  • Online orders may be placed by using the following web site: www.bvu.edu/commencement.  The web site is live and ready for you to place your order.  Orders will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2012.  After that date, you need to contact the Lehnus Campus Bookstore to place your cap and gown order.  Orders placed after the April 12 deadline will incur a $25.00 rush order charge.   Please make sure that your gown order reflects your correct size as we have a very limited supply of large sized gowns on hand if exchanges need to be made.
  • Graduates that don’t have access to a computer may place their cap and gown order by contacting the office personnel at the site where they receive advising services.   

If you are uncertain about your plans for attending this year’s commencement ceremony, I would encourage you to place a cap and gown order as this expense is already included in your graduation fee.

  • Caps and gowns for all graduates will be available for pick up on the stage in Anderson Auditorium located in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum as follows:
    Wednesday, May 23 - Friday, May 25, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  or
    Saturday, May 26, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  • Graduates unable to access Anderson Auditorium using the stairs may contact the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty Office (owenj@bvu.edu or phone 712-749-2243) to request pick up of your cap/gown at the commencement admission ticket  table located in the lobby area outside Anderson Auditorium.               
  • The offices of Alumni Relations and Career Services request that you allow a few extra minutes to complete forms needed by their offices.  Graduates from the Graduate and Professional off campus sites will complete these forms at their respective site.

Assembly Location for Commencement Procession

All graduates must be in their assigned seat in Schaller Chapel no later than 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 26 so announcements, etc. can be made prior to the procession to Siebens Fieldhouse.  Graduates that arrive after the graduates are lined up for the procession will be placed at the end of the line for their school rather than in alphabetical order.

Commencement Announcements

Each graduate receives five generic BVU commencement announcements which are included in your graduation fee.

  • Campus graduates can pick up the generic announcements at the Commencement Fair scheduled on Wednesday, March 28 or at the Lehnus Campus Bookstore after that date.  
  • Graduates not living on campus should contact the office where they receive advising services to request the generic announcements be mailed to them. 
  • Personalized announcements can be ordered at the Commencement Fair or on the Herff-Jones web site.

Admission Tickets to Commencement Ceremony

  • Tickets of admission are required for the 2:30 p.m. Commencement ceremony.  Tickets are free of charge.
  • Each graduate can order up to five tickets for their guests. 
  • If additional tickets are needed for your guests, the graduate can request up to five additional tickets. 
  • Graduates requesting extra tickets will be notified via e-mail no later than Monday, May 7 regarding the status of their request.  If you don’t have access to e-mail, please contact your advising site after Monday, May 7, to check on your request.
  • The link to order commencement admission tickets is (www.bvu.edu/commencement ).  The link is live and ready to accept your order.
  • Orders for commencement admission tickets must be placed by the graduate no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 4, 2012. 
  • If your ticket needs change after submitting your initial request, please enter a new request and the date on the most recent request will be the one that will be honored.  If you’ve ordered tickets and decide later that you will not be attending the commencement ceremony, you need to go back to the commencement ticket web site and place a new request for 0 tickets.  This will free up tickets for the guests that still need tickets to the Siebens Fieldhouse.
  • Commencement admission tickets will be available for pick up from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23 - Friday, May 25 in Anderson Auditorium, and from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Commencement day at the table located in the lobby area of the Forum outside Anderson Auditorium.  At 1 p.m. tickets that haven’t been picked up will given out to those guests that still need a ticket to Siebens Fieldhouse.

Commencement Viewing Locations

  • The Siebens Fieldhouse doors will open at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for those guests that have tickets for the Commencement ceremony.  There is no reserved seating in Siebens Fieldhouse.  The commencement procession will be broadcast to the Siebens Fieldhouse for guests who want to view the procession from their seats at that location.  Please make sure your guests are aware of these details.
  • The Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies will also be broadcast to Rooms 1-4 and Anderson Auditorium in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum.  These comfortable locations are convenient areas to view the ceremonies for those with health concerns, the elderly, and guests who do not have a ticket to the Siebens Fieldhouse.

Reserved Parking for Guests with Special Needs

  • To better accommodate our guests who come to campus for our Commencement day events, the parking lot north of the Siebens Fieldhouse (parking lot B on the campus map) will be reserved for additional handicap and special needs parking that day.  Use Early Street to access this parking lot.  This reserved area will accommodate up to 60 vehicles and is centrally located to the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum and to the Siebens Fieldhouse.  Shuttle service will be available in this area for those guests who need additional assistance to get to the various locations on campus.  Handicap parking is also available at other locations on campus.  These outlying areas will have limited shuttle service.
  • Guests that aren’t able to access the bleacher seating in the Siebens Fieldhouse can request seating on the floor when they arrive at the Siebens Fieldhouse.  One additional person will be allowed to accompany the person that requests seating in this area. Reservations are not needed for this seating area. 
  • Guests needing use of a wheelchair that day will need to contact my office (712-749-2243 or e-mail owenj@bvu.edu) to make a reservation.

Recognition of Honors

Recognition of honors at the Commencement ceremony, including honor cords and announced honors, is based on coursework completed and grades processed by the Registrar’s Office prior to April 1.  Any additional transfer work, BVU grades, or grade changes received after April 1 will not affect the honors announced during the Commencement ceremony.  You may check your current cumulative GPA via Campus Connect-Unofficial Transcripts, or Degree Audit.

Students who are completing their initial baccalaureate degree and have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours from BVU will be eligible to graduate with Latin honors.  Latin honors are based on cumulative grade point averages listed below:

  • Cum Laude: 3.500 - 3.699
  • Magna Cum Laude: 3.700 - 3.899
  • Summa Cum Laude: 3.900 - 4.000 

Students who are completing a second or subsequent baccalaureate degree and have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours from BVU in that program will be eligible for the honors Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction. The minimum cumulative grade point averages for these honors are listed below:

  • Distinction: 3.750 - 3.849 
  • High Distinction: 3.850 - 3.999
  • Highest Distinction: 4.000

By policy, BVU will only award one baccalaureate degree to any individual; however, students who have undertaken coursework at BVU prior to matriculating in the second degree program may not count that coursework towards the 45-hour requirement or the grade point average requirement for such honor, nor shall coursework completed at any other institution count toward either requirement.

Designation of actual honors earned will be based on the cumulative grade point average upon completion of degree requirements and will be noted on the diploma and final transcript and you will receive the appropriate honors ribbon.

Graduate and Professional Studies graduates only – If you received honors and your GPA changed, please contact your Site Director during regular business hours to exchange your honors ribbon for the correct one. 

Photographs

GradImages will be photographing all Buena Vista University graduates as they receive their diploma cover from President Moore during this year’s ceremony.  Visit their website, www.gradimages.com and click on the Pre-Event Email Registration.  By submitting your information and emails of those you would like to share your photo with, proofs will be available to them to view and order within a few days after the graduation ceremony.  Photo orders can be placed online or by calling 1-800-424-3686.  

Because your proud moment will be captured by a professional photographer, we would prefer that personal photos be taken before and after, but not during the ceremony.   Photos of graduates processing through and down the steps of the Grand Arch on their way to the Siebens Fieldhouse is a great opportunity to take personal photos.

Video Orders

Video recordings of the Commencement ceremony and Baccalaureate service are available for purchase.  To place an order, please complete the video order form and return it by June 1 to the address listed on the form.

Flower Sales

Grad Flowers will once again offer flowers for sale prior to the Commencement ceremony.  Sales will begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. in front of  Siebens Fieldhouse.  In the event of rain, flowers will be available in the lobby of the Siebens Fieldhouse.

Commencement Banner

Want to be a part of a BVU tradition?  The graduates of the Class of 2012 are invited to stop by the Commencement Fair to sign a Commencement Banner which is a gift to this year's graduates from our graduation supplier, Herff Jones.  If you are unable to attend the Commencement Fair, you will have an opportunity to sign the banner on Commencement Day when you pick up your cap/gown.  We encourage all graduates to take the time to sign the banner.

Buffet Brunch

A buffet brunch will be available from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, in the Dows Grand Ballroom of the Harold Walter Siebens  School of Business/Siebens Forum (see Commencement Brunch letter for additional details). 

Commencement Reception

A reception hosted by the National Alumni Association will be held immediately following the Commencement ceremony on the east lawn of Siebens Fieldhouse.  All graduates, guests, faculty and staff are invited to relax and celebrate with you and your family.  In case of inclement weather, the reception will be held in the Lamberti Recreation Center.

Commencement Fair

Campus graduates will be sent an electronic invitation to attend the Commencement Fair, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28. Various campus offices will participate in this event.  This is a good way to take care of the end-of-the-year details at one location.  Graduates from our Graduate and Professional Studies sites will be invited to a similar event at their respective location.

Commencement Ceremony Available on BVU Web Site 

Family and friends of the graduates who are unable to attend the Commencement ceremony at BVU may wish to view the event live on the BVU web site (www.bvu.edu) by clicking on the 2012 Commencement link beginning at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, 2012.

Sincerely,

David R. Evans, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs/
Dean of the Faculty