Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM

Greek Theatre

Speaker: TBD

All events are scheduled RAIN or SHINE!

CAPS, GOWNS, HOODS & TASSELS

There are four items that you need for Commencement: a cap, gown, hood and tassel. You will be able to rent, pay for and pick up your graduation essentials in one visit to the Graduation Department of the Cal Student Store (located on Bancroft and Telegraph) beginning on April 14 and ending in late May. The Graduation Department is located on the lower level of the store and will be open during the following hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am- 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am-6 pm
Sunday: 12 pm- 5pm

Your graduation package, including all of the items that you need will cost $65.00. You will have to return the gown and hood to the Graduation Department by Friday, June 2 and you will get to keep the cap and tassel. A Cal Student Store representative will be at the Commencement reception to collect your gown and hood if you would like to return it immediately.

Unfortunately, graduation items are not available online, so we recommend that you order and pick up your cap and gown as soon as possible, and that you visit the bookstore during off-peak hours, such as early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid long lines. Please allow at least 1/2 hour to order and pick-up your graduation items.

Please note: Light brown is the color of the hood for the MBA degree.

CEREMONY

The Commencement ceremony will be held in the Hearst Greek Theatre on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 at 2:00 PM. No tickets are needed for the ceremony and you may invite an unlimited number of guests. Seating for the ceremony is general admission. Please remember to tell your guests that the Greek Theatre is an outdoor amphitheatre and to plan appropriately.

Graduates should arrive at 1:00 PM at the South end of the back stage area. Pick up a program when you enter the Greek Theatre, proceed to the MBA table and pick up an index card. You will write your name on this card as you want it to be announced when you walk across the stage. There is no special seating order for the MBA graduates. You will be in a single file line when you go out of the gate, so be sure to stand either in front of or behind the person you wish to sit with. At 2:00 PM promptly, Pomp and Circumstance will begin and the MBA graduates will march out into the seating areas. Graduates will be acknowledged in the following order: FTMBA, EWMBA and Berkeley-Columbia MBA. Each degree program will recognize their top student and each will have a student speaker. Full-time MBA graduates will walk across the stage, have their name read by Julia Hwang, receive a scroll, and have their picture taken with Dean Tom Campbell before proceeding back to the seating area. Children are welcome to accompany you as you cross the stage (hold their hand or carry them). You can have family or friends bring the children to you at the point right before you go up on stage. Then, after you go across, have them meet you at the end of the stage to meet the children and take them back to their seats. We ask that all students stay for the entire ceremony.

The ceremony will last until approximately 4:00 PM.

Restrooms are located at both ends of the amphitheater. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located inside the north entrance.

RECEPTION FOLLOWS THE CEREMONY

A champagne reception will be held at the Campanile Esplanade from 4:00 PM-5:30 PM, immediately following the ceremony. You may enter the reception free by wearing your cap and gown. Each student will be given two free tickets for guests. You may invite as many additional guests as you wish at a cost of $5.00 per ticket. Children five and under are admitted free. Free and purchased tickets can be picked up in the MBA Program office between May 5th-May 15th.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS OR SPECIAL SEATING

To reserve wheelchair or special seating inside the Greek Theatre, contact Kate Blumberg at blumberg@haas.berkeley.edu or 510-642-6134 by May 14th. Please include your name, the last name of the guest needing special seating, what kind of seating is required (wheelchair, few or no stairs, etc.) and your phone number. Due to space constraints, Cal Performances can only guarantee seating for one companion for each guest in a wheelchair in the reserved area. Please note that these seats are easier to access from the South Gate of the Greek Theatre.

PARKING

General parking for your guests will be available in the Foothill Lot (Hearst Avenue, east of Highland Avenue,) and the Lower Hearst Structure Level 2 (Hearst and Scenic Avenue.) The cost will be $10.00.*

If you or your guest have a Handicapped Parking placard, you can request reserved parking in the Bowles Hall lot (adjacent to the south side of the Greek Theatre) by contacting Kate Blumberg blumberg@haas.berkeley.edu or 510-642-6134. Please include your name, the name of the driver and your phone number. The deadline to request a parking space is May 14.

*Please note that these prices are subject to change.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARKING

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO UC BERKELEY

CAMPUS MAP

CITY OF BERKELEY ACCOMODATIONS

ORDERING A DIPLOMA AND TRANSCRIPTS

The ceremonial scroll you receive at Commencement is not a diploma. Degrees take several months to process. Your diploma comes from the University and will not be available until the fall, approximately four months after your graduation date. You may obtain your diploma in person from the Diploma Office, 120 Sproul Hall at no charge, or you may request to have it mailed to you.

Details and the link to the Diploma request form are available at the following web page: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Records/diplomas.html

Information on ordering transcripts can be found at: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Records/transcripts.html