Commencement 2008 - May 19

Pertinent information for graduating seniors and their families:

University-Wide Commencement
The University-wide ceremony will be held on Monday morning, May 19 in Franklin Field (33rd and South Streets). The gates to the field will open at 8:30 a.m. for guest seating. Degree candidates, wearing caps and gowns, will assemble at Hamilton Village (next to Harrison House at 39th Street and Locust Walk). Penn Dental Medicine students should gather at the posted "Dental School" sign by 8:45 a.m. All candidates will walk down Locust Walk and enter the field at 9:30 a.m.

Students walking down Locust Walk with their classmates, dressed in caps and gowns, with Penn Dental Medicine's huge toothbrush in tow is quite a spectacle and something students (and their families) will always remember.

The Commencement ceremony
begins at 10:15 a.m. and concludes at approximately 12 p.m. The ceremony will feature the conferral of degrees; the awarding of honorary degrees; and comments from the University President, Amy Gutmann, and the Commencement speaker, Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York. Tickets are not required for University Commencement.

Commencement will be held at Franklin Field rain or shine. Guests should be prepared for all weather conditions. In the event of severe weather conditions, the procession across campus will be canceled. In this situation, candidates must assemble by 9:30 a.m. at the Palestra for procession into Franklin Field.

In the event of dangerous weather conditions that threaten personal safety, the ceremony may be delayed. Persistent dangerous conditions will cause the Commencement to be moved indoors to the Palestra, where seating will be limited to degree candidates only. Announcements about severe weather arrangements will be available at Hamilton Village, on the University's emergency information line (215-898-MELT), the Commencement hotline (215-573-GRAD), the Commencement website, and radio station KYW (1060 AM).

Seating for guests who use wheelchairs, as well as those with limited physical mobility or medical conditions, will be available both on the field and in the lower stands. Please be aware that the stadium is bench seating. Due to space constraints, guests with disabilities who are seated on the field may be accompanied by one escort only.

Arrangements for this type of seating may be made beginning April 1st, between the hours of 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. by calling 215-898-7369 (voice) or 215-898-7803 (TDD). There is no guarantee that an accommodation can be made if the request is received after Monday, May 5. Tickets for special seating will be mailed beginning May 1. Commencement information materials are available in an alternate format upon request.

Disability seating tickets for individual school ceremonies must be requested from the appropriate school. For general information about disability-related arrangements at Commencement, please call the Office of Affirmative Action at 215-898-6993.

Family members and friends who are unable to attend the Commencement ceremony may view it live on the internet using RealPlayer. Please visit www.penn.edu/commencement/webcast.html to learn more about the webcast.

School of Dental Medicine 130th Graduation Ceremony
Penn Dental Medicine's graduation ceremony will be held at Irvine Auditorium, 3401 Spruce Street, beginning at 1 p.m. Students are asked to be there by 12:30 p.m. for line-up and last-minute details. Caps and gowns should be worn. Morton Amsterdam Dean Marjorie Jeffcoat; Dr. Thomas Sollecito, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; and Dr. Bruce Shenker, Associate Dean for Research, will officiate the ceremony. The graduation will conclude at approximately 2:30 p.m.

The graduation speaker is Ms. Estelle Richman, Secretary of Public Welfare for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Secretary Richman shares Penn Dental Medicine's commitment to children's health as well as public service and the important role it plays in preserving oral health. Her career spans more than 30 years of public service, including Managing Director and Director of Social Services for the City of Philadelphia. Other previous positions include the City of Philadelphia's Commissioner of Public Health and Deputy Commissioner for Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services; and Assistant Director with the Positive Education Program in Cleveland, Ohio, a day treatment program for children with behavior problems.

A nationally recognized expert on issues of behavioral health and children's services, Ms. Richman has been honored for advocacy efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association, among others. She holds a master's degree from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.

All students will receive seven tickets for the Penn Dental Medicine graduation. Tickets and invitations will be available from the Office of Student Affairs. Each guest must have a ticket to enter Irvine Auditorium. However, graduating students do not need a ticket.

Penn Dental Medicine 130th Graduation Reception
The reception will be held at the Robert Schattner Center, Penn Dental Medicine, 240 South 40th Street, immediately following the ceremony. All School clinics are closed for the day.

If any family members are in need of special assistance during the dental school ceremony or reception, please call the Office of Student Affairs at 215-898-4550.