All undergraduate students with majors in the Tippie College of Business will be recognized.
Graduate Vicky Vaughn of Iowa City, Iowa, who will be receiving a BBA in marketing and a degree in journalism, will be the student speaker. Guest speaker will be George Hiller, president and CEO of Hiller & Associates, a company he founded to provide consulting on national and international beverage agreements and negotiations to the restaurant, hospitality, and convenience industries. Hiller received a BBA and MBA from the UI.
Doors to the venue are scheduled to open one hour prior to the ceremony; the ceremony is expected to last around one hour.
Graduates should arrive no later than 12:15 p.m. and proceed to the check-in at the Strauss Rehearsal Hall to pick up their name cards.
More information can be found of the Tippie College of Business website.
Fall 2018 Ceremony Video
Information for Graduates
Tickets for the commencement ceremony are not required.
All graduates must wear a cap and gown, which will be available at the University Bookstore, Iowa Memorial Union, during regular business hours, three weeks before the ceremony. Men are expected to wear shirts and ties; jackets are not required. Women are advised to avoid high heels, because floors may be slippery in the lobby when crossing the stage. Flowers should not be worn with caps and gowns or carried into the auditorium.
Beta Gamma Sigma members and Tippie Honors graduates will wear honors cords with their academic attire. Cords can be picked up in the Undergraduate Program Office, C140 PBB.
You may purchase personalized announcements specifically designed with the University of Iowa's school crest and customized with your name, degree, major, time, date, and place of the ceremony.
The ceremony will take place at Hancher Auditorium, 141 East Park Road.
Doors will open at 12:00pm. Graduates should arrive no later than 12:15pm and proceed to check-in at the Strauss Rehearsal Hall on the ground floor to pick up your name card. After check-in, you will be able to re-connect with your guests in the lobby, but you will be asked to gather again in Strauss Rehearsal Hall to line up at around 12:40. You may line-up in the order you choose; line-up does not need to be alphabetical.
At 1:00pm, graduates will process from Strauss Rehearsal Hall through the auditorium and onto the Hancher main stage, where they will take their seats.
The ceremony begins with a welcome and introduction of the platform officials, comments from an invited speaker, comments from the student speaker, and conferral of degrees. Next, the marshals will direct graduates to walk across the stage. You will hand your name card to a college representative who will scan your card so that your name appears on the live streaming broadcast of the ceremony. Then, you will hand your card to another college representative who will read your name as you proceed across the stage to shake hands with officials, and exit the stage to pick up your diploma cover and graduation gift and have your photo taken.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, your marshal will dismiss each row in an orderly manner. You will proceed through the auditorium in the same way you entered. You can rejoin your guests in the lobby.
Professional photographers will be taking two photos of each candidate at the ceremonies: a more formal "posed" photo taken prior to being recognized on stage and a "candid" photo taken while shaking hands with a university official.
To receive a complimentary proof (with no obligation to purchase), students must complete the address information on the back of the name card, which is filled out when purchasing their cap and gown. This photo name card will be handed to the reader as each student is recognized on stage. University Book Store personnel will complete this information for mail-in orders. Students should check for accuracy. Complimentary proofs will be mailed and emailed to the graduates within 10 days of the ceremony.
You will receive a complimentary diploma cover the day of the ceremony. Diplomas will be mailed to your residing address after a final audit confirms that all requirements have been met. Participation in the ceremony is not a validation of graduation.