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Commencement 2008

Student Speaker - Commencement Speech (pdf)»

The Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2008 will be held on Friday, May 9, 2008 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington.

The ceremony begins promptly at 1:00pm and will last until approximately 3:00pm. A reception in the main auditorium will immediately follow the ceremony.

Guest tickets or invitations are not required for admittance.

• Driving Directions
• Parking Information
• Information for Candidates
• Information for Family & Friends
• Information for Faculty
• Information for Staff

Driving Directions

Benaroya Hall is in the heart of downtown Seattle between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and Union and University Streets. Driving directions can be found at the Benaroya Hall website.

Parking Information

Keep in mind that the ceremony is on a weekday this year and therefore parking downtown will be influenced by work-week traffic. Benaroya Hall has a 430-car underground garage that provides direct access to the facility. The garage entrance is on 2nd Avenue, just south of Union Street. The maximum vehicle height is 6'8".

If the Benaroya lot is full, parking is also available at the Cobb Building (enter on University Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue) and the WaMu Building (enter on Union Street between First and Second Avenues.) All parking garage options charge a fee. For additional details, please visit the Benaroya Hall website.

Information for Candidates

Students are eligible to participate in the college's commencement ceremony if they have six or fewer credits outstanding after the spring semester is complete. If a student has more than six credits unfulfilled then they are eligible to participate in next year's ceremony. If you are a prospective graduate and have questions regarding your eligibility to participate in ceremony or your graduation status you should contact the Registration Office at 206.726.5089.

Diplomas are not given out at the ceremony. Final degree awards will be posted to a student's record within 30 days of the last day of the semester. Diplomas will be available following the final graduation audit, and for most students by June 1st.

Graduation candidates are required to be on location at Benaroya Hall the day of the ceremony at 10:00am. This will allow us time to check-in all graduates, rehearse the pronunciation of names, rehearse the processional and recessional, and take class/departmental photographs.

Invitations may be picked up in the Alumni Relations Office beginning on Friday, April 11th. Each graduating student receives eight (8) complimentary invitations. If you would like more than eight invitations please contact the Alumni Relations office after April 23 to pick-up any invitations that are unclaimed. The Alumni Relations Office can be reached at 206.726.5052. More information about the Alumni Office can be found here.

If you have guests that need special accommodation please contact the Registration Office at 206.726.5089 so that we can make appropriate preparations.

Graduates should plan to check their coat and/or bag at the coat-check provided by Benaroya Hall.

Information for Family & Friends

Family and friends of graduates should plan to arrive at the ceremony between 12:00pm and 12:45pm. The doors to Benaroya Hall will not open for guests until 12:00pm. Guests should plan to park within the Benaroya Hall parking garage or one of the many fee-based parking garages surrounding Benaroya Hall. In addition, the college will provide a free shuttle service between MCC and Benaroya Hall running from 11:45am to 12:30pm and again from 3:15pm to 4:00pm.

Out-of-town guests can view accommodation information here.

Professional pictures will be taken during the event and can be purchased from www.GradPhoto.com. Your password is CORNISH. If you would like to receive a free proof of your assigned images, please pre-register at their site.

Information for Faculty

Faculty members of the college are encouraged to attend the ceremony and should plan to arrive at Benaroya Hall by 12:00pm. Sharron Starling will coordinate the faculty line-up for the commencement processional. All faculty in attendance will be seated on the stage and will walk in the processional line-up just behind the graduating class.

Information for Staff

Staff members of the college are welcome to attend the ceremony. Please follow the guidelines for the guests and plan to arrive no earlier than 12:00pm. Staff who are working the event should be in contact with the Registrar's Office regarding arrival time and assigned duties.