Convocation Tickets for Degree Candidates

Dear Degree Candidate:

Congratulations for successfully completing a highly rigorous and competitive academic program here at Texas A&M University. Joining your fellow Aggies in receiving much-coveted diplomas at commencement is a most appropriate way to celebrate this significant accomplishment and milestone in your life.

Your graduating class also marks a significant milestone for Texas A&M as we launch a new concept for our commencement exercises by introducing Commencement Convocation, a celebration of academic achievement that all degree candidates will have the opportunity to attend. As you know, President George W. Bush has graciously agreed to be our inaugural Commencement Convocation speaker on Friday, December 12, at 10:30 a.m. in Reed Arena. We are delighted that he has agreed to speak to you and your fellow graduates upon this momentous occasion.

As mentioned in my earlier message, each degree candidate will be given a ticket to attend Commencement Convocation and will also have the option of inviting up to two guests. The following is pertinent information regarding how to obtain tickets and other related matters:

• Tickets must be reserved online at http://graduation.tamu.edu prior to picking up tickets at the MSC Box Office.
• Reserved tickets will be available at the MSC Box Office, located in the first floor lobby of Rudder Tower, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, November 24, through Friday, December 5, 4:30 p.m. The MSC Box Office will close for the Thanksgiving holidays at noon Wednesday, Nov. 26. It will reopen Monday, December 1, at 9 a.m.
• All tickets must be picked up by the degree candidate by showing your valid student ID.
• No more than three tickets per degree candidate may be obtained. (One for the degree candidate and up to two for guests.)
• Everyone who enters Reed Arena must have a ticket, including infants.
• Everyone over the age of 16 must have a valid photo ID for entrance to Reed Arena.
• All degree candidates will be seated on the floor or first level of Reed Arena.
• Appropriate dress is business attire. Academic regalia should not be worn.
• Strict security measures will be in place. Do not bring backpacks, bags, or other personal belongings. Also, no food or liquids will be allowed.

Tickets not picked up by graduates by 4:30 p.m. Friday, December 5, will be offered to the Aggie Family. This will be on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of two tickets per person. We also are making plans for the Convocation to be simulcast on campus.

Please do not wear academic regalia at the 10:30 a.m. convocation, but you will need to do so at the actual degree-granting exercises. Also, with the addition of Commencement Convocation, the previously announced 9 a.m. commencement exercise for graduates in the George Bush School of Government and Public Service and all graduate and undergraduate degree candidates in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mays Business School has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. that day. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The regularly scheduled 2 p.m. ceremony for all graduate and undergraduate degree candidates in the Colleges of Architecture, Dwight Look College of Engineering, Science, and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will remain unchanged. In addition, Saturday’s 9 a.m. ceremony for all degree candidates in the Colleges of Education and Human Development, Geosciences, and Liberal Arts will not change.

Commencement ceremonies for Texas A&M at Galveston graduate and undergraduate degree candidates will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 14, in the Moody Gardens Convention Center in Galveston.

Any additional questions by bachelor’s degree candidates should be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 979.845.1089. Any questions by master’s degree or doctoral degree candidates should be directed to the Office of Graduate Studies at 979.845.3631.

Again, congratulations and best wishes.

Dr. Elsa A. Murano
President