{"id":30757,"date":"2024-04-01T08:52:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T13:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=30757"},"modified":"2024-04-01T08:52:33","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T13:52:33","slug":"behind-the-pomp-and-circumstance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2024\/04\/behind-the-pomp-and-circumstance\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Pomp and Circumstance"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the ninth in a series of weekly blog posts about the work of Marquette Law School\u2019s Office of Student Affairs. The previous post and links to all prior posts from this series can be found <\/em>at this link<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Diploma<\/a>The Law School\u2019s largest event of the year, by far, is graduation.<\/p>\n

Or, as you may see it advertised, the Hooding and Commencement Ceremony. We use a variety of terms interchangeably to refer to the event, which historically has taken place on the third Saturday in May. Graduates walk across the stage and receive their law degree.<\/p>\n

That sounds so sterile for such a meaningful event, doesn\u2019t it? In fact\u2014in truth\u2014this event is rich and meaningful, both for our graduates, their families, friends, and guests and for those of us who work at the Law School\u2014faculty and staff. It is inspiring to see students, who were nervous and maybe even a little scared when we first greeted them at Orientation, walk confidently across the stage at Commencement. We get to cheer for students who have gone through hardship triumph as they pass this important finish line. We celebrate not just how far all of our graduates have come but also the bright futures that await them.<\/p>\n

The purpose of this blog post is to take you behind the scenes of graduation as it comes together.<\/p>\n

The Law School\u2019s Office of Student Affairs coordinates the \u201cshow,\u201d but on the day-of, it\u2019s an all-hands on deck production, which includes our Events, Facilities, and Tech teams, our Admissions Office, and a number of colleagues from the Law Library.<\/p>\n

Planning for graduation starts before the academic year even begins (there\u2019s a mark of our confidence). The prior spring (i.e., that of most graduates\u2019 2L year), we\u2019re already in contract negotiations with the venue for the following May. And the dean is often considering and sending out an invitation to a potential guest speaker a year ahead.<\/p>\n

Each year, we assess and revise, with an eye toward enhancing the experience for our graduates and their guests. Here are just a handful of those seemingly small details to which we\u2019ve given a lot of thought:<\/p>\n