Congratulations on earning a degree or certificate from Moraine Valley Community College! There’s no better way to celebrate this significant achievement than attending commencement. Crossing the stage is the perfect ending to the hard work, late nights and sacrifice you have put into gaining your credential. It’s time to relish in the joy and pride that comes with being a college graduate. Moraine Valley faculty and staff cannot wait to applaud you!
Announcements
TICKETS
Each graduate can bring five guests to the ceremony.
Tickets will not be issued. Guests must arrive with their graduate.
Ceremony Registration
All graduates who wish to participate in graduation (optional) must register to attend either the 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. ceremony. You will select the ceremony you wish to attend; however, the college will suspend registration for a ceremony if it is full. Registration will open Monday, March 18, and close Sunday, May 5.
Note: Only students who have petitioned for graduation can register for a ceremony. If you have not yet petitioned to graduate, you must do so as soon as possible by completing the form on MVConnect. Records will not accept petitions past April 26 for spring graduation.
Ceremony Logistics
When you arrive to Building H, you will check in by last name at the tables in the lobby of the building. You will be given a reader’s card at check-in that you will bring with you to the stage. Double check the information on your card is correct. If changes are needed, make them before leaving the table.
You then will proceed to the second floor and line up in your degree section for the processional. If you want to sit next to a friend in your degree section, line up behind one another, not next to each other.
Each ceremony will last approximately one hour. Graduates will be called to the stage by degree and will receive their diploma cover and an alumni gift from the Moraine Valley Foundation. After exiting the stage, you must return to your seat. You will not be allowed to leave the Cyclone Center until the ceremony is over.
At the end of the ceremony, you will recess from the Cyclone Center out the southwest doors into the parking lot in front of the building. You cannot stop outside the Cyclone Center doors. Plan to meet your family outside the building.
IMPORTANT: Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of your ceremony to allow for enough time to check in and line up. Entrance to the gym will stop when the ceremony begins, and late graduates will wait in the lobby until the national anthem is over. Please do not be late! The ceremony will start on time.
DIPLOMAS
You will walk across the stage to receive a diploma cover. Diplomas will be mailed six to eight weeks after graduation to the address on record. To update your current address, email records@cjpk.net.
You will purchase a cap and gown through the Bookstore, beginning Monday, April 1. You can purchase your items online to be delivered to you, or you can go into the Bookstore in Building D to be sized for regalia and make your purchase. Regalia will be on sale through commencement.
Students earning an associate degree will receive a cap, gown, tassel and white stole for $39. The package for graduates earning a certificate costs $31 and includes a cap, gown and tassel. If you already own Moraine Valley regalia, you can re-use it; however, you must purchase a new tassel for the current year.
If you are graduating with honors, you will wear a cord to designate you as an honor student. You can purchase honor cords in the Bookstore. Grade point averages for honor cords are calculated based on grades through the fall 2023 semester. Spring 2024 semester grades are not included in calculating grade point averages for honor cords.
Summa cum laude (gold cord): 3.9-4.0
Magna cum laude (silver cord): 3.75-3.89
Cum laude (white cord): 3.5-3.74
With High Honors (silver and green cord): 3.75-4.0 GPA
High Honors (white and green cord): 3.5-3.74
Members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society can purchase a PTK honor stole and/or tassel to wear during the ceremony. You can wear the PTK stole with honor cords, but you cannot wear two tassels. You must choose one tassel to wear on your cap. You can purchase PTK items from the Moraine Valley Bookstore or the PTK website.
Please note: As commencement is an academic ceremony, only Moraine Valley honor cords and Phi Theta Kappa stoles can be worn with the regalia. Cultural stoles or stoles indicating membership in a specific group will not be allowed. You will be asked to remove any nonsanctioned regalia prior to the start of the ceremony.
Gold Cords
Summa Cum Laude
Phi Theta Kappa Cords
Silver Cords
Magna Cum Laude
White Cords
Cum Laude
Silver & White Cords
With High Honors
Green & White Cords
With Honors
Professional Photos
Register now with GradImages and save 20% on your photo order. A professional photographer will take several photos of you during the ceremony, including the moment you receive your diploma. To receive your proofs and take advantage of savings, visit the GradImages website and sign up before the ceremony.
Grad CAP CONTEST
Get creative with your graduation cap! Enter the Cap Decorating Contest to win one of two Moraine Valley-themed prize packs. One photo per entry is allowed. The submission deadline is Friday, May 10. Voting will take place the week of May 13 on the college's Instagram story, so be sure you're following our account. All caps entered in the contest will be included in the first round, and voting will continue until two caps remain. Runner-up and first place winners will be announced on Thursday, May 16.
Graduation Cap Contest
Buy a Brick
Moraine Valley is the only community college in Illinois with a Shakespeare Garden. The garden celebrates the lasting legacy of William Shakespeare’s works, and it can celebrate the legacy of your graduation from the college or honor a loved one who has recently earned a Moraine Valley degree or certificate.
The 4"×8" bricks will be placed throughout the garden and installed once a year. The Foundation staff will alert you when your brick is about to be installed in the garden and the location.
Questions? Reach out to Jessica Crotty at crotty@cjpk.net.
