Commencement will be held in the James Brown Arena at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center on May 10 beginning at 10:00 a.m. We anticipate the ceremony will last until approximately noon.

You should park on the 8th Street side (across the street from the Post Office) of the arena and enter the arena down a wide ramp also on the 8th Street side of the facility. Please do not park at the Post Office or in the lot next to it. Those are private areas. There is ample parking and there are no restrictions on the number of guests graduates may bring. There will be directional signage to show you the way to the exhibit hall once you enter the arena. Please leave all cell phones, purses, etc., at home or with one of your guests. There are no storage facilities in the lineup area.

Family and friends should park on the 7th Street side of the arena and enter through the main entrance. Handicap parking is available on the 7th Street side.

There will be several faculty and staff members (“line leaders”) to help facilitate your lineup for the ceremony. There will be directional signage to show you where to gather. There will also be faculty on the floor of the arena to direct you to your seats. Line leaders will distribute name cards to you. Please keep this card with you as you enter the arena. You will give this card to the announcer when you proceed to the stage. He or she will read your name as you cross the stage to receive the congratulations, diploma tube and handshake from Dr. Bloodworth. Click (here) to find your seating assignment in the alphabetical listing of all graduates participating in the ceremony. Please remember your assignment. It will make the lining up process much easier for everyone.

Undergraduate students who are eligible to graduate with honors can pick up honor cords in their respective dean's office on Friday, May 9, 2008, from 12-4 p.m. Honor graduates completing Fall 2007 or Spring 2008 will be listed as such in the commencement program and diplomas will be printed with the appropriate information as well. Honor graduates completing requirements summer 2008 will be listed in next year's commencement program as honor graduates, but diplomas will be printed with the appropriate information. Click (here) for the listing of honor graduates.

If you are completing coursework this semester you may pick up your diploma in a celebratory picnic in your honor at the Alumni House on McDowell Street after the ceremony between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. There will be refreshments served and you will also receive your welcome packet from the Alumni Association. Please bring your diploma tube with you so that your diploma will be protected when you leave. Diplomas not picked up will be mailed. If you are completing coursework in summer your diploma will be mailed to you at the end of the summer term.

There is seating reserved for hearing impaired guests and the services of a signer will be provided. There is also limited seating reserved on the floor for guests with physical limitations.

Please check this page often as information will be updated as the Commencement date draws nearer.

Congratulations to each of you and we wish you all the best for your future as graduates of Augusta State University !