COMMENCEMENT 2012.....SATURDAY, JUNE 9 

The Fuller Seminary Commencement will be held Saturday, June 9, at 10:00 a.m. at Lake Avenue Church, 393 North Lake Avenue, in Pasadena. The service itself will last a little more than two hours. The auditorium will be open for admission beginning at 8:30 a.m. In order to ensure adequate preferred seating for the families of all graduates, admission will require a Family Early Admission Pass until 9:30 a.m., at which time admission will be open (though seats will be very, very limited). Graduates who are planning to attend Commencement in Pasadena should download a Family Early Admission Passes Request from the Commencement Links and Forms site and submit it by May 1. There is no predetermined number of passes allocated per graduate. However, in order to ensure adequate and appropriate seating for the families of graduates, these passes will normally be available for family members only, and due to the number of participating graduates this year, a limit may have to be imposed. Family Early Admission Passes will be available only through graduating students who will be participating in Commencement, and will only guarantee seating until 9:30 a.m. After that time no pass will be required, and any remaining seats (which are expected to be very limited in number) will be available to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis.

Graduates must be in the designated student lineup room at Lake Avenue Church at 8:30 a.m. for robing and final instructions. 

Childcare is available by reservation from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (See CHILDCARE, below). Free parking will be available at Gateway Plaza, 300 North Lake Avenue, with free shuttle service to and from the church. Parking at the church itself is restricted.

REGIONAL CAMPUS EVENTS 

Fuller's regional campuses will be holding their own Commencement events. Graduates and their guests are welcome to attend regional Commencement events as well as the all-seminary events in Pasadena. Please contact the regional campus office for further details on any of these events. (Note: all of the other information on this page refers to the all-seminary Commencement in Pasadena and related events.)

• Fuller Northwest Commencement: June 2 
• Fuller Northern California Commencement: June 9  
• Fuller California Coast Graduation Dinner: June 7 
• Fuller Southwest Commencement: June 9 
• Fuller Colorado Commencement: June 22 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Personalized graduation announcements may be ordered online from Herff-Jones. Remember that announcements do not function only as Commencement invitations, but also simply as announcements of your actual or impending graduation.

BACCALAUREATE SERVICE.....MAY 30  

The 2012 Baccalaureate Service will be held on Wednesday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church. Everyone is welcome. Graduates will meet in Payton 101 on the Fuller campus promptly at 9:30 a.m. to form the processional. Academic regalia is worn for this occasion. A reception will follow in the Garth, hosted by the Alumni Office.

CHILDCARE.....SATURDAY, JUNE 9 

Childcare will be provided for children five years old or younger (born on or after June 10, 2006) on Commencement Day, Saturday, June 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Lake Avenue Church. Reservation forms can be downloaded from the Commencement Links and Forms site, and must be submitted by May 1. This service is only available to participating graduates and their families, not other guests. The number of children we can care for is limited, and reservations will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. We're pleased to be able to offer this service free of charge. Please note that it is imperative that the reservation process be followed fully and completely and in a timely manner, or we will not be able to care for your children.  

DIPLOMAS 

Diploma cases (not the diplomas themselves) will be presented to each graduate at the Commencement ceremony. Diplomas are mailed to graduates throughout the year, normally within about three months of the completion of all requirements for graduation.

FACULTY/GRADUATE EVENTS 

Hooding services for doctoral programs and a variety of other receptions, dinners, banquets, and other events are being planned for graduates of different schools and programs during the week leading up to Commencement. Information that is available at this time is provided below. Further information will be made available here as soon as details are available.

The School of Theology Graduate Union will host a dinner cruise around LA's South Bay on May 25 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. All School of Theology 2011-2012 graduates  are eligible. Sales are limited to graduates and one guest each. Prices: through April 20, $15; after that, $20. Sales close May 8. For more information or to purchase tickets, email  asc-tgu@fuller.edu, call 626-584-5452, or visit the All Seminary Council office on the first floor of the Catalyst.

The School of Intercultural Studies will hold a breakfast for doctoral graduates at the University Club (175 North Oakland Avenue) at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 7. The breakfast is free for graduates and $15 for guests, with a limit of one guest per graduate. Tickets must be reserved by May 23, and may be purchased or reserved online by clicking here or by coming to the SIS Dean's Office (exact cash or check only).

The doctoral hooding service will be held at 2:30 p.m. the same day First Baptist Church (75 North Marengo Avenue) in Pasadena. Graduates should arrive at the church before 2:00 p.m.  

Then at 6:00 p.m., there will be a graduation banquet for all School of Intercultural Studies faculty, graduates, their families, and invited guests at Noor (260 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena). Tickets for the graduation banquet are free for graduates and $35 for guests. Tickets can be reserved or purchased by clicking here or by coming to the SIS Dean's Office (exact cash or check only). Tickets must be reserved or purchased by May 30. Even though graduates' tickets are free, all graduates must reserve their tickets online or at the SIS Dean's Office. Contact the Dean’s Office (626-584-5265 or sis@fuller.edu) for further information.

A light reception for graduates of the Center for Advanced Theological Studies and their families will be held on Friday, June 8 at 5:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, adjacent to the Fuller campus. Graduates may bring three guests to the reception without cost; additional guests will cost $6 each. This will be followed by a hooding ceremony at 6:00 p.m.Contact the CATS office (626-584-5239 or cats-assistant@fuller.edu) for details.

A hooding service for all 2011-2012 doctoral graduates of the School of Psychology (both departments) will be held in Travis Auditorium at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 8. This will be followed by a dinner for all the faculty, graduates (master's and doctoral) of both departments, and their families and invited guests, at 7:00 p.m. at the Westin Hotel. Graduates should contact the SOP front desk (626-584-5500 or sop-frontdesk@fuller.edu) for further details.

A hooding ceremony for Doctor of Ministry graduates will be held on Friday, June 8, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in Payton 101. This ceremony will be followed by a light reception. Please contact the Doctor of Ministry office at dmin-fpcoord@fuller.edu or by phone at 626-584-5653 for further information.

The Korean Doctor of Ministry Program (School of Theology) has scheduled their hooding service in Payton 101 at 10:30a.m. on Friday, June 8, followed by a luncheon at the University Club (adjacent to the Fuller campus) at noon. There will be a presentation of final project topics in the Ray Anderson Classroom on the Fuller campus, at 2:30 p.m. Contact the office at 626-584-5651 or kdmin@fuller.edu for more information.
 

PHOTOGRAPHS.....FRIDAY, JUNE 8 

Group pictures of the graduating class of each school and of all members of the 2011-2012 graduating class of the Seminary who are present will be taken on the day before Commencement on the Fuller campus at 9:00 a.m. This group photo session will last until about 11:00 a.m. You should plan on being present for the entire time. Academic regalia is worn for these photos. You will have an opportunity to order copies of any of these photos online after Commencement.  Even if you do not think you will purchase photos, please be there so that you will be in the photos that others will purchase.

We are also pleased to be able to offer a special service again this year of individual photographs taken as each graduate crosses the stage at Commencement. Each graduate will receive free proofs and the opportunity to order copies online shortly after Commencement.

In order to avoid disrupting the Commencement service, we regret that we cannot permit guests to approach the stage during the ceremony to take photographs.

REGALIA.....MAY 21 - JUNE 9 

Rental caps, gowns and hoods are provided for Baccalaureate and Commencement at no cost. Only the rental regalia that we provide may be worn at Commencement or Baccalaureate.  

No preliminary fitting or ordering is required. Regalia will be distributed to graduates in the Payton Hall lobby (by the switchboard) at the following times:

Regalia will also be available at the time of lineup on Commencement Day at Lake Avenue Church for late arrivals. All regalia will be collected immediately after the Commencement ceremony. All regalia must be returned at this time. We must pack and return it immediately. 

REHEARSAL 

There is no rehearsal for Commencement. Final instructions for the Commencement ceremony will be given beginning at 8:30 a.m. Commencement Day. It is imperative that graduates be in the designated student lineup room at Lake Avenue Church at 8:30 a.m. on Commencement Day for robing, lineup and final instructions. 

QUESTIONS??? 

We hope we have answered all of your questions, but if there is anything else we can help you with, please feel free to contact anyone listed here for further assistance.