Due to an increase in the number of graduating seniors, tickets will be required for guests planning to attend the June 7 University of Denver undergraduate Commencement ceremony at Magness Arena. No tickets will be needed for graduate or law school Commencement ceremonies.
This is the first time DU has required tickets to Commencement. The University’s Commencement Committee decided to implement the new ticketing process after looking back at last year’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony, which filled Magness Arena, and looking forward to this year’s graduating class, which is expected to increase by more than 10 percent.
“The last thing we want to do is turn away visitors at the door,” says Gordon Von Stroh, business professor and chair of the Commencement Committee. “That just wouldn’t be fair to the family and friends who planned to share this momentous occasion with our students.”
To assure as many guests as possible are able to attend Commencement, the committee decided to implement a ticketing process. Undergraduate students eligible for graduation this year will be notified by e-mail of the new requirement and given instructions on how to request tickets through WebCentral. Instructions also will be posted online atwww.du.edu/Commencement.
Each student who confirms his or her attendance at Commencement will be eligible for a minimum of four tickets and may request as many as 12. The Registrar’s Office will let students know how many tickets they will receive; students will pick up their tickets at cap and gown rental on June 3 and 4. In order to accommodate as many guests as possible, students are being encouraged to request only as many tickets as needed.
According to Commencement officials, Magness Arena was at capacity last year with about 6,000 Commencement guests, plus students, faculty and special alumni guests. With the number of eligible graduates increasing this year, the number of guests was expected to increase beyond the arena’s capacity. Historically, about four out of every five seniors eligible for graduation march in Commencement and bring an average of seven guests.
Von Stroh says committee members are convinced that a ticketing process is the fairest method for assuring as many family and friends as possible are able to witness this important milestone.