AGNR Commencement

AGNR Commencement

College of Agriculture & Natural Resources' Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony

Ceremony Details

Tues. May 21, 2024

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

 

Reckord Armory, Gymnasium

4490 Rossborough Ln,

College Park, MD 20742

 

Arrival Information

Graduates should arrive in the Armory basement no earlier than 2:30 p.m. and no later than 2:45 p.m.  Graduating students must wear the appropriate regalia in order to participate in the ceremony -- it is our preference that you arrive already dressed. AGNR staff will be on hand to answer any questions you might have and assist with regalia checks while department faculty marshals will take this time to go over the procession details with you. The procession of graduates will begin moving upstairs at 3:25 p.m. and the ceremony can begin promptly at 3:30 p.m. It is critical that you arrive on time so as to prevent any undue stress for yourself or our staff. 

Guests with AGNR Ceremony tickets/wristbands may begin entering as early as 2:30pm. Any guest without a ticket/wristband will be asked to wait and will only be permitted to enter the venue if there is space available (in accordance with the Fire Marshal's posted venue capacity). Should you find yourself waiting in line to enter, there will be graduation gifts and bottled water for sale outside of the main entrance. The procession of graduates will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m.; any guests not seated by that time will be held at the entrance until the procession has moved into the gymnasium.

 

IMPORTANT: While we fully promote the celebration of our graduates and all their achievements, all commencement venues have a strict No Balloons & No Noisemakers policy in place so please leave those in your vehicle or at home. Additionally, there will be a BAG CHECK upon entrance to The Armory. Seeing how these checks can be time-consuming, we encourage all guests to leave bags at home. We understand that this may come as an inconvenience but our aim is to minimize wait times at the door and ensure that guests are seated before the ceremony begins. 

Ticket Information

Tickets will also be required for the College of AGNR's ceremony. Each graduate will receive five* guest tickets (graduates will not need their own ticket for the ceremony). Ticket distribution will take place in April. AGNR graduates will be notified as soon as dates have been set for pick-up.

 

*For students in need of additional tickets, we will have a waitlist available during ticket pick-up. Those students on the list will be contacted as soon as unclaimed tickets have been made available. Please do not contact the AGNR Academic Programs Office to request additional tickets until the initial ticket distribution has taken place. 

Parking

The Reckord Armory:

It is recommended that guests and graduates park in Regents Garage which is ADA accessible and will have a shuttle running to/from the Armory (adjacent to The Clarice). Parking will also be available in Lots C1 & C2 but space is limited. The lots closest to the Armory (Lots L & QQ) will be completely restricted except for passengers in need of drop-off (see Accessibility Services below for more details).

All campus parking is FREE on commencement dates (meters will be turned off). Parking is available on a first come, first served basis. Please see map for lot numbers and locations http://maps.umd.edu/map/. Graduates will receive more information about parking and guest access closer to the event date. 

 

IMPORTANT: With construction of the WMATA Purple Line currently underway, there is a chance that sidewalks and/or surface lots will be temporarily unavailable at times. We recommend that you arrive to campus early so as to avoid any unexpected delays.

Accessibility Services

All graduating AGNR students will be asked to fill out an RSVP for the ceremony at which time they will have the opportunity to request accomodations for themselves and/or their guests. For more immediate information, please see below:

SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS are available upon request. Please contact the Disability Support Service at 301.314.7209 or dhhs@umd.edu to make arrangements.

ADA PARKING:  Those with handicap parking permits may park in any available handicap parking space on campus. There are spaces available in Lots L & QQ next to the Armory but space is very limited. Regents Drive Garage is ADA accessible with elevators located at each corner of the structure elevator; shuttles will also be available. 

DROPPING GUESTS OFF:  Guests will be able to pull directly up to rear of The Armory (Lot QQ) to drop off any individuals who require additional assistance. 

Live-Stream & Closed Captioning

The College of AGNR is proud to offer a fully live-streamed ceremony for guests who cannot attend in-person. The stream will be hosted on the AGNR YouTube Channel -- no account or login required. 

  • Closed Captioning (text only) - English (link coming soon)
  • Closed Captioning (text only) - Spanish (link coming soon)

 

 

 

 

Regalia

ALL GRADUATES regardless of degree/certificate level, are required to wear regalia in order to participate in the commencement ceremony.

BACHELOR'S & MASTER'S DEGREE CANDIDATES will need to obtain their cap, gown, departmental hood (optional for bachelor's students), Stole of Gratitude (the red UMD sash), and tassel with the official UMD medallion. The Undergraduate package will cost $93.98 and the Master's package will cost $134.98. The deadline to purchase Bachelor's and Master's regalia from the University Book Center is April 17, 2024. Alternatively, students may choose to borrow regalia from a recent UMD alumni or a friend/fellow graduate whose college ceremony is at a different time.

DOCTORAL DEGREE CANDIDATES may rent or buy their regalia from the University Book Center. The deadline to purchase PhD regalia from the University Book Center is March 12, 2024; the current price for purchase is $1,264. Those choosing to rent their PhD regalia have until April 1, 2024 to submit their request; the current price for rental is $248.75. 

 

Click here for more information about regalia, purchase/rental options, etc.

 

Day-of details for graduates

Further information will be sent directly to graduating students via e-mail throughout March and April.

Day-of details will be distributed to graduates during ticket pick-up and updated here in early-May.

AGNR Commencement Speakers

Commencement Address
Coming Soon!

Student Commencement Address
Coming Soon!

Expression of Gratitude
Coming Soon!

Note: Diplomas will be mailed several weeks after graduation.