Ceremony

The Processional

The commencement program at Coppin begins with an academic procession. The commencement participants assemble according to academic groups and are directed by a group of marshals. The commencement procession is composed of the following groups, and they march in the order listed:

• Alumni
• Candidates for the master’s degree
• Candidates for the bachelor’s degree
• Faculty and staff
• Speaker, administrative officers and other members of platform party

The candidates, after reaching their seats, should face the center aisle until the other members of the processional have reached their places.

The Program

The program’s essential segments are: the invocation, the greetings from special guests, a commencement address, conferring of degrees, announcement of honors and awards, induction of graduates into the alumni association, singing of the alma mater, and the benediction. The master’s degrees are awarded first, followed by bachelor’s degrees.

The Recessional

The order of the recessional is the reverse of the processional. The platform party is first, followed by the faculty, students, and the alumni.