The information on this page is intended for University of Iowa staff members coordinating collegiate commencement ceremonies.
It is not intended for students or the general public. It is a working page and all dates, deadlines, and pricing info is subject to change.
All publicly available deadlines and archived mass communications can be found on the Deadlines and Correspondence section on the home page.
Fall 2024 Timelines and Deadlines
The following timelines are intended for collegiate commencement coordinators.
| Date | Action/Deadline | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 9/13 | Iowa Hawk Shop to send faculty regalia ordering information | Faculty |
| 9/17 | Herff Jones website is live for student regalia orders | Students |
| 9/23 | Regalia available in Iowa Hawk Shop for purchase/rent | Students |
| 11/04 | Last day to order for regalia to be shipped to the Iowa Hawk Shop (no charge for shipping) | Students |
| 11/19 | Faculty orders due via Herff Jones website or via Excel spreadsheet - Contact Gabby McIlvanie (gabrielle-mcilvanie@uiowa.edu) with questions | Faculty |
| 11/20 | Last day to order home ship regalia (shipping fee applies) | Students |
| 12/09 | First day to pick up ship to Iowa Hawk Shop orders | Students |
| Date | Time | Action/Process | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/17 | Publish special population form | ||
| 9/17 | RSVP and Herff Jones apparel portals open | ||
| 11/04 | Last day to order regalia to be shipped to the Iowa Hawk Shop (no charge for shipping) | ||
| 11/17 | RSVP closes | ||
| 11/18–11/20 | RSVP extension period | ||
| 11/20 | Last day to order regalia to be home shipped (shipping fee apply) | ||
| 11/21 | Special population workflow close date | ||
| 11/21 | Special population data provided to colleges | ||
| 11/25 | 9 a.m. | Graduate lists due to registrar’s office | |
| 11/25–12/1 | Commencement team reviews college data | ||
| 12/2 | Files due to Marching Order | ||
| Proofs reviewed by commencement team | |||
| 12/4 | Herff Jones deadline for ordering via expedited shipping (shipping fee applies) | ||
| 12/6 | Deadline for students so submit slide photos | ||
| 12/9 | First day to pick up regalia shipped to the Iowa Hawk Shop | ||
| 12/11 | Deadline to approve all slide photos | ||
| 12/12 | Slide photos published | ||
| 12/13 | Name cards delivered to commencement team | ||
| 12/13 | Software download available | ||
| 12/17 | Name cards delivered to colleges |
Please Note: All information related to livestreams and closed captions should be delivered to the Office of Strategic Communication at least two weeks prior to the ceremony. Detailed information can be found below.
| 2024 Send Date tbd | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 9/16 | Coordinators | *RSVP Info *Meeting Reminder *Subscription List *Special Population Form Information |
| 9/17 | Students | *RSVP Open *Helpful Resources *Deadlines/Reminders *Restriction + Program *Apparel Information |
| 9/19 | Subscription List | *RSVP Open *Helpful Resources *Deadlines/Reminders *Apparel Information |
| TBD | Advisors | *Commencement Information |
| TBD | Students | *RSVP Reminder #1 *Helpful Resources |
| TBD | Students | *Apparel Information *Livestream Information *RSVP Reminder *Helpful Resources |
| TBD | Subscription List | *RSVP Reminder #1 *Helpful Resources |
| TBD | Advisors | *RSVP Reminder #2 |
| TBD | Students | *RSVP Reminder #2 *Helpful Resources *Focus on Regalia Deadlines |
| TBD | Subscription List | *RSVP Reminder #2 *Helpful Resources *Focus on Regalia Deadlines |
| 11/13 | Students | *RSVP Final Reminder |
| 11/13 | Students | *Apparel Deadline Information |
| 11/13 | Subscription List | *RSVP Final Reminder |
| 11/18 | Students | *RSVP Extended |
| 11/19 | Subscription List | *RSVP Extended |
| 12/3 | Students | *Ceremonies Info |
| 12/4 | Subscription List | *Ceremonies Info |
| 12/16 | Students | *Ceremony Checklist |
| 12/17 | Subscription List | *Ceremony Checklist |
MAUI Commencement Attendance Management
Detailed information and instructions for collegiate commencement coordinators working in MAUI can be found on the MAUI Help Site.
Please Note: the Microsoft BI report will show day-old data, so no RSVPs will show until the next day. The report and widget on the commencement panel in MAUI will display live data.
Power BI Commencement Report
Read only and exportable BI report with all data fields.
RSVP Add Instructions
MAUI Commencement Dashboard includes:
- Attendance Panel
- Person Inspector
- Slide Photo Review
- Commencement Ceremony Attendance Report
MAUI Slide Photo Report
Report used to approve student slide photos.
Templates
The UI Commencement Team has partnered with the Office of Strategic Communications to develop a set of standardized Order of Event and Run of Show templates. Use of these templates is highly encouraged to present a unified brand and user experience across all ceremonies.
Folder Order of Events Templates
Full Page Order of Event Templates
Half Page Order of Events Templates
Run of Show Template
Please complete the run of show template for your ceremony. This will be shared with the conferring official, along with other individuals supporting the logistics of your ceremony including the OSC video team, ASL interpreters, and venue support.
Livestreams and Closed Captioning
All videos or livestreams produced or shared by the university that are intended for public viewing are required to have closed captioning per the IT Accessibility Policy. Computer-generated auto captions do not meet this standard.
Captions display a text version of the speech and nonspeech audio information within the media player to help individuals understand the content if listening is not an option for them.
University of Iowa commencement ceremonies are streamed online in real-time, requiring the rapid and accurate live coding of captions by a human operator.
Due to the rapid pace of speech, captioners utilize a specialized keyboard called a stenograph to enable phonetic typing and significantly increase their typing speed. However, this approach relies on digital shorthand and greatly benefits from prior preparation.
Commencement ceremonies encompass a significant amount of specialized language. While there might be a common vernacular shared across all commencements, the College of Medicine, for instance, may employ a distinct vocabulary compared with the College of Business. Terms such as personal names, building names, course titles, and notable accomplishments will vary according to each specific ceremony.
The most accurate captioning of these terms is achieved by providing as many of them as possible to the transcriptionist ahead of the event. This allows them to incorporate the terms into their digital shorthand system prior to the event.
To assist with this process, the Office of Strategic Communication must receive the following information from each college at least two weeks prior to the ceremony:
- Event program/order of events, including the complete list of speakers.
- Any drafts of prepared remarks, even if they consist of just keywords or outlines.
Important note:
We understand that not all speakers write out their remarks verbatim; many speak spontaneously and off the cuff. Transcriptionists are highly skilled at keeping up with such conversations. There is no expectation that any scripts provided will be strictly adhered to; changes or updates might occur. However, achieving the optimal speed and accuracy of closed captions necessitates proper preparation. Any information about the speaker is valuable, even if it's not directly related to their current speech (e.g., their online biography).
Apparel Pricing and Ordering Info
Breakdown by Population
Purchase and rental options for students and faculty. These prices are intended to be used as an internal resource for collegiate coordinators.
Please note: All undergraduate students will purchase regalia. There is no rental option for undergraduates.
All regalia questions should be directed to both Gabrielle McIlvanie (gabrielle-mcilvanie@uiowa.edu) from the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore and Melissa Hibbard from Herff Jones (gradmidwest@gmail.com).
| Product | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Bachelor Unit (includes keeper gown, mortarboard, and tassel) | $49.00 |
| Masters Rental Unit (includes rental gown, keeper mortarboard and tassel) | $52.00 |
| Masters Rental Hood (includes rental hood only, students would be required to purchase fine quality gown, etc.) | $36.00 |
| Masters Rental Unit and Hood (includes rental gown and hood, keeper mortarboard and tassel) | $88.00 |
| Doctoral Rental Unit (includes rental gown, keep tam and tassel) | $68.00 |
| Doctoral Hood Rental (includes rental hood only, students would be required to purchase fine quality gown, etc.) | $41.00 |
| Doctoral Unit and Hood (includes rental gown and hood, keeper tam and tassel with UI signet) | $109.00 |
| Individual Items | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Bachelor Gown Purchase | $28.00 |
| Mortar Board Purchase | $8.00 |
| Tassel Purchase (including Iowa Seal drop) | $13.00 |
| Master's Gown Rental | $31.00 |
| Master's Hood Rental | $36.00 |
| Doctoral Gown Rental | $32.00 |
| Doctoral Hood Rental | $41.00 |
| Tam Purchase (Non-Doctoral) | $23.00 |
| Souvenir Tassel (optional item) | $7.00 |
| Zipper Pull (optional item) | $11.00 |
| Custom Stole (optional item) | $28.00 |
| Custom Doctoral Regalia | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Classic Doctoral Gown | $552.15 |
| Doctoral Hood | $198.00 |
| 8-Sided Tam | $110.65 |
| Gold Silk Tassel | $24.50 |
| Total | $885.30 |
| Custom Masters Regalia | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Masters Gown | $269.15 |
| Masters Hood | $158.00 |
| Mortarboard Cap | $47.00 |
| Tassel with custom signet | $13.00 |
| Total | $487.15 |
| Item | Follet Rental Retail |
|---|---|
| Master's Hood Rental | $36.00 |
| Doctoral Hood Rental | $41.00 |
| Master's Gown Rental | $31.00 |
| Doctoral Gown Rental | $32.00 |
| Mortar Board | $8.00 |
| Tassel | $6.50 |
| Tam Rental with attached tassel | $23.00 |
| Units (everything but the hood) | Follet Rental Retail |
|---|---|
| Faculty Masters Unit (rental gown, mortarboard, tassel) | $45.50 |
| Faculty Doctoral Unit (rental gown, tam, tassel) | $55.00 |
| All Inclusive Rental | Follet Rental Retail |
|---|---|
| Faculty Masters Rental (gown, hood, mortarboard, tassel) | $81.50 |
| Faculty Doctoral Rental (gown, hood, tam, tassel) | $96.00 |
| Custom Iowa Doctoral Regalia | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Classic Doctoral Gown | $552.15 |
| Doctor Hood | $198.00 |
| 8-Sided Tam | $110.65 |
| Gold Silk Tassel on Tam | $24.50 |
| Total | $885.30 |
| Custom Iowa Master Regalia | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Master Gown | $269.15 |
| Master Hood | $158.00 |
| Mortarboard Cap and Tassel | $58.15 |
| Tassel | $13.00 |
| Total | $498.30 |
| Traditional Doctoral Regalia with Surefit Tam | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Black Classic Doctoral Gown | $487.00 |
| Black Doctoral Hood | $198.00 |
| Eight-Sided Surefit Tam | $75.35 |
| Gold Silk Tassel | $24.50 |
| Total | $784.85 |
| Traditional Master Regalia | Follet Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Black Classic Master Gown | $247.00 |
| Black Master Hood | $158.00 |
| Black Mortarboard Cap (comes with rayon wrapped tassel) | $47.00 |
| Total | $452.00 |
| Sale Packages Order by 12/20/23 - Full Sets Only* | Follet Sale Price |
|---|---|
| Master Sale Package (gown, cap, tassel, hood) | $361.60 |
| Doctoral Sale Package (gown, cap, gold silk tassel, hood) | $651.15 |
*Only available for traditional fine-quality regalia, not UI custom.