Before the Ceremony

Reserve Your Spot

Reserve your Spot in the June 2, 2012 Spring Commencement Ceremony.

Participating in Commencement is a memorable event for all students. We’ve made reserving your space and ordering your gown for Commencement quick and easy! To ensure you are registered and ready to go, complete the Graduation Ceremony Entry Form in BRUIN, or come to a cap and gown measurement session and submit your entry form in person.

Degree Conferral

We confer degrees monthly, effective the last day of each month. We ask that you clear all obligations to the University so we can release your diploma.

Once Student Records has verified that your degree program is 100% complete, we will notify you and ask you to order your diploma online. Your diploma will arrive approximately eight weeks after the conferral date. At the Commencement Ceremony, you will receive your diploma cover, but not your diploma.

If you have not yet received notification from Student Records, you may check your Academic Advisement report through Self Service Works Audit. If it indicates your degree is 100% complete, you may complete the Graduation Diploma Order Form. Please do not complete the Graduation Diploma Order Form if the audit indicates an incomplete degree, as early submission of the form may delay conferring your degree.

If your Self Service Academic Advisement Report does not indicate you are 100% complete when you believe it should, please contact your Academic Advisor. If you have questions regarding your diploma, please contact the OneStop Service Center at (800) 756-7920 / (402) 293-2000, option 0 or by email at OneStop@bellevue.edu.

Commencement Regalia

We are pleased to provide a cap and tassel for you to keep, and will rent you a gown and hood (if applicable) to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. Rental gowns are pressed and delivered on hangers, ready for you to pick up.

To make it easy for you, we have set up a couple of options for you to submit your Graduation Ceremony Entry Form, either online or in person. You can submit your entry form online and measure yourself for your cap and gown. Instructions for measuring are located on the Graduation Ceremony Entry Form. You also may call the Commencement Coordinator’s office at 800-756-7920, ext. 557-7012 for help with self measurement. If you choose to be measured in person, please stop by at any of the following dates, times, and locations. No appointments are necessary.

Date	Main Campus/Student Center	West Omaha/Lozier
Monday, March 26, 2012	5 - 6:30 PM	4:30 - 6 PM
Tuesday, March 27, 2012	11 AM - 1 PM	4:30 - 6 PM
Wednesday, March 28, 2012	5 - 6:30 PM	4:30 - 6 PM
Thursday, March 29, 2012	11 AM - 1 PM	4:30 - 6 PM

• The Main Campus is located at 1000 Galvin Road South, Bellevue, Nebraska 68005.
• The West Omaha/Lozier Campus is located at 2810 North 118th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164.

To participate in Commencement, you will need to wear regalia of a black cap, a black gown for both men and women, and a tassel. If you are receiving a master’s degree, you will also wear a master’s hood. If you are an undergraduate who has met the criteria, you also will wear an honor stole.

If you wish to wear items other than the approved regalia, you must have those items approved by the University’s full Board of Directors. Please submit a written request to the Chief Academic Officer 60 days prior to the Commencement Ceremony. To participate in Commencement exercises, you will need to comply with standards for regalia.

Commencement Entry Deadline

Please submit your Graduation Ceremony Entry Form either in person or online, by April 1, 2012.

We understand that sometimes things come up. If you miss the deadline date, you may still enter the ceremony and order your cap and gown for a late fee of $50, however your name may not appear in the Commencement Ceremony program and it may affect your placement within the walking order. You also have the option of participating in the January 26, 2013 Spring Commencement Ceremony instead, which involves no additional fee.

Tassels

You will receive a black gown, black cap, a tassel, and if applicable, an honor stole. Your tassel color is determined by the degree you have earned:

Tassel Color	Degree Earned
White	Master of Arts
Drab	Master of Business Administration
Salmon Pink	Master of Healthcare Administration
Peacock Blue	Master of Public Administration
Gold	Master of Science
White	Bachelor of Arts
Brown	Bachelor of Fine Arts
Gold	Bachelor of Science

Cap and Gown Pick Up

Please pick up your cap and gown during the following dates and times. No appointment is necessary.

Bellevue University Main Campus (Quiet Lounge in the Student Center):

• Tuesday, May 29, 2012
• Wednesday, May 30, 2012
• Thursday, May 31, 2012
• 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM and 4:30 – 6:30 PM on all days

All caps and gowns not picked up by 6:30 PM, Thursday, May 31, will be available at the Omaha Civic Auditorium when you arrive at 8 AM on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

If you pick up your cap and gown and are unable to attend the Commencement Ceremony, please return the gown, honor stole, and/or hood to the Commencement Coordinator in the Library, Rm. 452, so you will not be charged and your diploma can be released. The cap and tassel are yours to keep.

Honors - Undergraduate

If you have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours here at the University, you may be eligible for honors at graduation. Credit hours earned with grades of pass/fail, CLEP/DSST, ELA, New York University Foreign Language Proficiency Exams and other transfer credits do not count toward graduation honors.

You will receive a degree with honors if your cumulative grade point average in courses taken at Bellevue University falls within the following limits:

Red Stole	Summa Cum Laude	3.95 to 4.00
Gold Stole	Magna Cum Laude	3.88 to 3.94
Green Stole	Cum Laude	3.76 to 3.87
White Stole	With Distinction	3.60 to 3.75

Honors - Graduate

If you have completed the requirements for a master’s degree, congratulations! It is an honor in itself to be accepted into and complete the requirements of a graduate program. Therefore, as a graduate student, you are not included in the honors program. All questions regarding honors should be directed to Student Records.

Graduation Open House

• June 1, 2012 — 4:30 - 7 PM

Student Center – Main Campus

You and your guests are invited to attend this fun opportunity to connect with your instructors, classmates, and Academic Advisor. The event will include hors d’oeuvres and guided campus tours. You will also have opportunities to record a “Shout Out” and pose for professional photographs in your Commencement regalia. If you would like to attend this event please complete the Graduation Open House registration form.

Announcements

Bellevue University does not supply announcements for your graduation, but we welcome you to order announcements and/or class rings if you wish. The following companies can meet these needs for you:

Graduation Supplies, Inc. – www.graduationresources.com

Jostens® – inside the Bellevue University Bookstore or online at: www.jostens.com

Signature AnnouncementsTM – www.signaturea.com

Graduation Photography

If you wish to have photos taken commemorating this special occasion, we encourage you to have an individual portrait taken during cap and gown pick ups in the Student Center Quiet Lounge on Main Campus. Kim Photography is extending an exceptional price for graduation photos and no reservations are necessary.

Kim Photography also will be set up and available immediately following the graduation ceremony in the Exhibition Hall.

Senior Shout Outs

You will have opportunities during your cap and gown pickups and the Graduation Open House to record a video “Shout Out.” We will play these on the big screens at Commencement before the ceremony. They also will be included if you order a Commencement Ceremony DVD.

“Shout Outs” are brief video clips of graduating students sending out messages to family and friends, thanking them for their love and support. An example of a “Shout Out” is, “Hi, Mom and Dad. Thanks so much for your love and support during my time at Bellevue University. It has been a great experience and I could never have made it without you. Grammy and Pop, thanks to you also, and John, Amy, and Susie, you have been so supportive during our years together at school.”

Lodging

We urge you to make your reservations for lodging as soon as possible. For more information, you also may visit the Omaha Visitor and Convention Bureau at visitomaha.com. The following Omaha hotels listed below are located very close to the Omaha Civic Auditorium, where the Commencement Ceremony is held, and within 15 minutes of the University.

• Embassy Suites Downtown/Old Market
• 555 South 13th Court
• Omaha, NE 68108
• 402-346-9000
• 800-362-2799
• www.embassysuitesomaha.com

• Redick Plaza Hotel
• 1504 Harney Street
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402-342-1500
• 888-342-5339
• www.redickplazaomaha.net

• Hilton Omaha
• 1001 Cass Street
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402-998-3400
• 800-445-8667
• www.hilton.com

• Doubletree Hotel
• 1616 Dodge Street
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402-346-7600
• 800-766-1164
• www.doubletree.com

• Magnolia Hotel
• 1615 Howard Street
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402-231-6000
• 800-937-9461
• www.magnoliahotelomaha.com

• Courtyard by Marriott
• 101 South 10th Street
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402-346-2200
• 866-204-9388
• www.courtyardomaha.com

• Comfort Inn
• 2920 South 13th Court
• Omaha, NE 68110
• 402-342-8000
• 866-224-6423
• www.comfortinn.com