December 2012 Commencement will be held Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m. in Smith Chapel on the Indianola campus. All graduates must be in the lobby of the Amy Robertson Music Building to line up at 1:15 p.m.

CEREMONY: Simpson College celebrates two commencement ceremonies each academic year; one at the end of the fall term and one at the end of the spring term. A student who is eligible for the December ceremony may elect to participate in either December or in the following spring ceremony, but not both. To be eligible for either ceremony, a student must have no more than two courses (8 credits) to complete after December 15, 2012.  Students whose name has appeared in an earlier commencement program are not eligible to participate in an additional commencment ceremony, unless receiving a second Simpson Degree.

DIPLOMAS: At commencement, all participating will receive a diploma cover during the ceremony. Diplomas will be mailed approximately eight weeks from when completion has been recorded and verified.

HONORS: Specific Latin honors will be listed in the commencement program and will be based on the cumulative GPA available as of November 15, 2012. A minimum of 64 credits earned at Simpson are required for honors eligibility.

CAP & GOWN: Participants in the December Commencement may pick up your cap and gown from the Simpson College Bookstore between December 3 and prior to 12:45 p.m. on December 15, 2011. The Bookstore will have all sizes of caps and gowns in stock, and the staff will help you choose the correct size. EWG participants from West Des Moines and Ankeny can request their caps and gowns be shipped to their respective campuses one week prior to Commencement. To make this request, EWG participants should call the bookstore at 961-1635 with their measurements (approximate height and weight) before December 3, 2012.

You can also order your cap and gown on the Bookstore website.

PHOTOGRAPHER: A photographer will take a photo of each student participant during the ceremony. You will receive details on ordering prints closer to the event.

GUESTS:  We will not be issuing tickets for your guests, however seating is extremely limited.  Please limit the number of your guests to no more than five people. There will be a wheelchair available and there are spaces at the end of pews where a wheelchair can be comfortably placed.

RECEPTION: Everyone is invited to a small reception in the Kent Student Center immediately following the ceremony.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office of academic affairs (515-961-1720) or the registrar’s office (515-961-1734)