Rogers State University’s commencement ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at the Claremore Expo Center.
The associate degree ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., while the bachelor’s degree ceremony will begin at 1 p.m.
The commencement date was moved forward one week to the Saturday before finals due to a scheduling conflict at the Expo Center, which is the only local indoor venue large enough to accommodate the event. University officials explored other options and dates to accommodate for the conflict, but the May 4 date was determined to be best for the majority of stakeholders.
The university will be allotting tickets for the bachelor’s degree commencement ceremony to all qualified graduates again this year. The university last year introduced a ticketing system for its bachelor’s degree ceremony to provide fair and equal access for guests attending the event, which has experienced capacity crowds in recent years.
The ticket distribution for the bachelor’s degree ceremony will begin at the Commencement Countdown event, which will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, March 28 in the Centennial Center rotunda.
Commencement Countdown serves as a one-stop opportunity for associate and bachelor’s degree candidates to order commencement supplies, including cap and gown, invitations and more. Various vendors and campus departments will be on hand to share relevant information with graduates.
For students unable to attend Commencement Countdown, the ticket distribution will start at 10 a.m. on March 28 at the administrative offices at the Pryor and Bartlesville campuses. After the Commencement Countdown event concludes, students may pick up tickets at Meyer Hall on the Claremore campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the business week.
Each graduate may receive up to six commencement tickets. Students will need their RSU student ID to claim their ticket allotment.
The tickets, which are free, provide admission to the Claremore Expo Center for family and friends attending the bachelor’s degree ceremony. Participating graduates will not require a ticket. Children two years old and under who will sit on their parent’s lap and guests attending the morning Associate Degree Commencement ceremony also do not require tickets.
Students will have several weeks to claim their allotment before unclaimed tickets are redistributed among students needing additional seats. All unclaimed bachelor’s degree ceremony tickets will become available beginning on 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 16 at Meyer Hall, as well as the Bartlesville and Pryor campuses.
Tickets will not be required for the associate degree commencement ceremony or the nursing pinning ceremony, which will be held separately.
The university will provide a live online stream of both Commencement ceremonies for those unable to attend in person.
Details regarding the commencement tickets and other related issues are available on the RSU commencement website.