May 15, 2021 – Two Ceremonies for Classes of 2020 and 2021
COVID-19 forced us to cancel our commencement ceremonies last year, but it is important to us that all Mounties have the opportunity to cross the stage and formally conclude this chapter of their academic journey. We will hold two in-person ceremonies on May 15, 2021 in order to accommodate the classes of 2020 and 2021, but we must lock in attendance early in order to plan the event in accordance with campus COVID protocols.
Graduates will receive two guest tickets for the event. The ceremonies will also be live streamed.
The following are the times for each ceremony:
10:00 a.m. – Nursing and Health Sciences
3:00 p.m. – Business, Arts, and Sciences
If you have any questions, please email: registrar@mtaloy.edu
Thank you and Go Mounties!
The commencement ceremony as we know it had its beginnings in the Middle Ages as rites of initiation into the close brotherhood of guild membership. Guilds were groups of artisans, tradesmen, and merchants who banded together to regulate their industry and standardize the training of potential new members. Our modern academic degrees of bachelor, master, and doctor correspond loosely to the titles of apprentice, journeyman, and master that indicated the ancient guildman’s level of knowledge and skill. Like the initiation rituals of the medieval guild, our commencement ceremony symbolizes both a new beginning and acceptance into the ranks of those who have attained an important and substantial body of knowledge.
An important part of the pomp and circumstance of the traditional commencement ceremony, the mace is a symbol of the authority of the university. It evolved from the weapons carried by the elite bodyguards who protected the king and other high officials at important events. It is carried in the processional by the grand marshal, a faculty member chosen for the occasion. In the early centuries of the university system, faculty members who were appointed to be marshals were charged with the task of ensuring that scholars complied with the curfew. Today, the mace has a purely symbolic purpose–to represent the authority of the university as a degree-granting institution.
The origins of academic dress date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were taking form. The ordinary dress of the scholar, whether student or teacher, was the dress of a cleric. With few exceptions, the medieval scholar had taken at least minor orders, made certain vows, and perhaps been tonsured. Long gowns were worn and may have been necessary for warmth in unheated buildings. Hoods seem to have served to cover the tonsured head until superseded for that purpose by the skull cap.
The assignment of colors to signify certain faculties was to be a much later development, and one which was to be standardized only in the United States in the late 19th century. White taken from the white fur trimming of the Oxford and Cambridge B.A. hoods, was assigned to arts and letters. Red, one of the traditional colors of the church, went to theology. Green, the color of medieval herbs, was adopted for medicine, and olive, because it was so close to green, was given to pharmacy. Golden yellow, standing for the wealth which scientific research has produced, was assigned to the sciences. The Intercollegiate Commission met at Columbia University in 1895 and adopted a code of academic dress, which besides regulating the cut and style and materials of the gowns, prescribed the colors which were to represent the different fields of learning.
Please view the Mount Aloysius College Map to follow the parking directions listed below.
Traffic will be restricted to enter College Drive through the main campus vehicle entrance near the Administration Building. The upper entrance near Ihmsen Hall will be closed for the day. Officers will be positioned along College Drive to direct vehicles to open lots. The parking lots will be filled one at a time, beginning with lot 13. The earlier you arrive, the closer to the Athletic Convocation and Wellness Center you will be able to park. Special needs and handicap person drop off will begin near lot 14 along Mountie Way. Please have your state issued handicap placard displayed or license plate and the Officers will direct you to the proper location. After the ceremony, Cresson Volunteer Fire Company Fire Police Officers will control traffic on Admiral Peary Highway to facilitate a safe and orderly exodus.
Please contact the Campus Safety Office at 814-886-6327 if you have parking questions or concerns.
You can find information regarding Jostens graduation packages by clicking here.
More info coming soon…
The Graduate Salute for Spring 2021 has been canceled.
Students can pick up their regalia and tickets to Commencement in the Registrar’s Office. Students will receive an email when items are available.
What is a Baccalaureate Mass and why should I attend?
Mount Aloysius College’s Baccalaureate Mass is a celebration which honors all graduates, their families, friends, and instructors. Its roots are in the medieval European custom of presenting the candidates for the degree of Bachelor with laurels during a public oration.
The Baccalaureate Mass is a service of worship in celebration of and thanksgiving for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom and is open to all graduates no matter what their religious affiliation may be.
Why should you attend? This Mass is a special way of giving thanks and asking for God’s blessing. It is a major accomplishment in your life and attending the Mass not only honors your personal achievement, but brings together the Mount Aloysius Community is celebration with you.
This Year’s Mass
Would you like to give a gift of gratitude to someone in your life, who you would like to thank for walking alongside you during your college years? Bouquets of sunflowers will be given to each student who RSVPs for our College’s Baccalaureate Graduation Mass. The Mass of Gratitude and Thanksgiving will include a special time to honor those who have loved, supported and encouraged you during these years of making your dreams come true.
The Mass of Gratitude and Thanksgiving will be held, Friday, May 14, 2021 @ 3:30 in the ACWC.
All Graduates who RSVP for the Baccalaureate Mass will be allowed to select up to two individuals who you would like to present this gift of gratitude. Please remember to invite them to the mass as well! The gift of gratitude is a blessing from Mission and Ministry and will be free of charge! All are invited!
Graduation Application
Students who have applied for graduation will have a pre-graduation audit conducted. The time line for pre-graduation audits is listed below:
| Selected Conferral Period | Graduation Application Deadline | Registration Begins | Pre-Graduation Audit Conducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | First week of November | Late October/Early November | First week of December |
| August | First week of April | Late March/Early April | First week of May |
| December | First week of April | Late March/Early April | First week of May |
Once completed, students will be mailed a letter indicating the results of the pre-graduation audit. If an audit indicates a student is on track with his or her current schedule, then the student will be enrolled in one of the following courses during his or her final semester: GR101, GR201, or GR301 This code does not appear on a printed schedule or transcript. The only place it is viewable is on MyMAC. The course is a means of tracking your application status and signals the Business Office to apply the graduation fee to a student record.
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