Commencement 2010
General Information:
- Graduates must report with their tickets by 6:30 a.m. for check-in.
- Guests will be seated prior to the ceremony. Seating will be first-come, first-served.
- The ceremony is scheduled to take approximately two hours - from 8:00a.m. to 10:00a.m. We suggest making your post-commencement plans after noon.
Ceremony & Arrival
Graduates must arrive by 6:30a.m. Please follow the signs and directions given by the Thurgood Marshall College Commencement Staff.
Guests should plan on arriving to RIMAC field to find seating 1-1.5 hours prior to Commencement ceremony start time. Please allow at least one hour to park and arrive at RIMAC field.
The ceremony is scheduled to take two hours, from 8:00a.m. to 10:00a.m. We suggest making your post-Commencement plans after noon. This will allow everyone ample time to take pictures after the ceremony and safely exit our parking areas.
Recognition of Graduates
Thurgood Marshall College Commencement Staff will direct graduates to form two lines, one on the left side of the stage and another on the right side of the stage. Graduates will be arranged in the order in which they are seated.
When graduates step onto the stage, they will give their ticket to the Dean to announce their name. (Note that on the backside of the graduate's ticket, the graduate must neatly print the information requested prior to the Commencement ceremony, including the phonetic spelling of his/her name.) For graduates worried about the proper pronunciation of your name, please whisper the correct pronunciation in the Dean's ear as you give her your ticket.
After the graduate's name is announced, the graduate will proceed across the stage to receive a congratulatory handshake from the Provost while being photographed by a professional photographer.
After crossing the stage, Thurgood Marshall College Commencement Staff will direct graduates back to their seat. Once seated, graduates are expected to stay in their seats for the duration of the ceremony out of respect for all graduates.
All Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010 and Summer 2010 graduates can participate in the June 2010 commencement ceremony. Any student wishing to participate must have completed 135 units by the end of Winter 2010.
Click here for additional information about filing for graduation. Participation in the commencement ceremony does not constitute official graduation from the university.
Commencement is a very important occasion for all graduates, their families and friends. We strive to make the ceremony memorable and special. We ask that all graduates and guests cooperate and follow all directions given by Thurgood Marshall College Commencement Staff and Security. Remember, we are there to ensure your safety and enjoyment on this special day.
As a common courtesy to everyone, please refrain from using your cell phone during the ceremony.
The first graduate to cross the stage is just as important as the last graduate to cross the stage. Be respectful of all graduates and remain seated until every name has been read and the ceremony has officially ended.
We suggest you make your post-Commencement plans after noon. This will allow everyone ample time to take pictures after the ceremony and safely exit our parking areas.
Each year the graduating class honors one of its own senior members and one Thurgood Marshall College Faculty member by awarding the Outstanding Senior Award and the Outstanding Faculty Award. Every graduating senior is encouraged to vote online for these two outstanding awards.
OUTSTANDING FACULTY NOMINATION
The Outstanding Faculty nominees listed are selected by the Administration and Graduation Committee members, faculty, and staff based on their College involvement and CAPE Evaluations. As you are reviewing these nominees, please take into account, from your particular vantage point, their teaching ability, enthusiasm for and mastery of the subject area, commitment to undergraduate education, and contribution to the college. ** Online Voting Coming Soon
OUTSTANDING SENIOR NOMINATION:
Candidacy for the Outstanding Senior Award is based on a combination of scholastic and service achievements. Criteria for selection are a minimum 3.25 GPA (minimum 80 graded UCSD units) and appropriate service and leadership accomplishments. These eligible candidates' resumes have been included for you to read and use in making decisions in your voting. ** Online Voting Coming Soon
Please visit the UC San Diego bookstore website 
for commencement package options.
Graduates also have the option to place their cap and gown orders in person inside the UCSD Bookstore starting June 1, 2010 if they do not wish to purchase a package.
Please keep your tassel in a safe location as we will not have any extra tassels on commencement day.
After the ceremony, boxes for gown drop off will be available at RIMAC field. Remember to take your cap and tassel; they are your souvenirs of the day!
Guests are not allowed to cross any barricade or disrupt the flow of the ceremony to take pictures. Only our professional photographers are allowed on stage to take pictures. Please remember to bring a powerful zoom lens to use in memorializing this special day.
Professional photographers will be present at the ceremony taking pictures of the graduate and before they step onto the stage and as they cross the stage. The graduate will receive photo proofs via email.
Senior Portraits
Graduates may also elect to have a professional Senior Portrait taken in advance at the UCSD Bookstore April 20-22 from 10a.m-3p.m. Please contact the UCSD Bookstore for more information at (858) 534-7323.
Graduation announcements can be ordered online here. .
Class rings can be ordered online here. .
Additional graduation items are available for purchase at the
UCSD Bookstore Graduation Shop .
You may also order rings at the UC San Diego Bookstore on April 20 - 22, 2010 from 10:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.
UCSD has a long tradition of holding separate commencement ceremonies for each of the undergraduate colleges. UC San Diego's six undergraduate college ceremonies provide students with a setting where graduating seniors may invite family and friends to celebrate their accomplishments. College ceremonies allow individual recognition of each senior.
To continue with this tradition and to ensure that students attend their own college ceremony, students participating in the 2010 undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be required to have a ticket of admission to their college's ceremony. Ticketing will enable colleges to limit the ceremony to participants in that college. This will help to provide adequate parking, traffic control and facilities resources to ensure a happy, memorable occasion for all graduates.
A college ticket will be distributed to students at the time of their cap and gown pick-up at the bookstore in June. Student ID will be required for verification of commencement eligibility. Students should place this ticket in a safe location as it will be required for admittance to their college commencement ceremony on the day of graduation. No replacement tickets will be issued.
For graduates with very exceptional circumstances, exceptions may be requested to participate in another college's ceremony. For information on requesting an exception, click here .
Guests:
Tickets are not required in the guest general seating area. There is no limit to the number of guests that a graduate may invite to attend the ceremony.
Traffic will be extremely heavy, so be sure to arrive early, especially if you want the best view of the stage. Parking will be free on Saturday for the Commencement ceremony. Please follow the directions of parking attendants; they are here to help you and ensure that traffic is moving safely.
Parking attendants will initially direct all Marshall College Commencement ceremony traffic to the Hopkins Parking Structure and north campus lots that are closest lots to the Commencement Ceremony site.
As these lots fill, attendants will systematically re-direct traffic to other campus parking lots, such as the Pangea Parking Structure. We are anticipating more than 9,000 people in attendance, so we strongly encourage you to carpool and bring your party in as few cars as possible.
Those with accessible parking needs attending the ceremony should enter via North Point Drive and follow the directions of parking attendants. Please make sure you have your disabled placard visible so you may be directed appropriately.
Directions to the north campus lots, coming from north of La Jolla:
- Take Interstate 5 SOUTH.
- EXIT on GENESEE AVENUE and TURN RIGHT
at the end of the exit ramp (westbound). - Proceed to the third light at the top of the hill.
- TURN LEFT onto NORTH TORREY PINES ROAD.
- TURN LEFT onto NORTH POINT DRIVE.
- Follow signage.
Directions to the north campus parking lots, coming from south of La Jolla:
- Take Interstate 5 NORTH.
- EXIT on LA JOLLA VILLAGE DRIVE and TURN LEFT
at the end of the exit ramp (westbound). - Proceed about 1 mile
(La Jolla Village Dr. becomes North Torrey Pines Rd.) - TURN RIGHT onto NORTH POINT DRIVE.
For more information call the Parking Office (858) 534-4223
or visit this website: http://parking.ucsd.edu
- Disabled parking for those with handicap placards will be available in parking lot P359. Please follow the parking attendants' directions and have your placard easily viewable.
- The commencement site is approximately 1/4 mile from the parking lot. Shuttle service will be available only to those guests with mobility restrictions from parking lot P359 to RIMAC field level.
- We regret the university is not able to provide wheelchairs for guests. The first/last chair of each row may be removed to accommodate wheelchairs.
- ASL interpreters will be on stage throughout the ceremony. A limited number of assisted listening devices are also available. If you require listening assistance, please contact Anna Gandolfi at (858) 534-1447 or agandolfi@ucsd.edu
.
- There is limited shaded seating available on a first come, first served basis. This seating is available to those in need and one additional guest.
Please contact out office at (858) 534-4002 for any other special arrangements to accommodate your guests' needs.
