Faculty & Staff Information for 2024 Arching & Commencement Ceremonies
These ceremonies are our students’ farewell to Ramapo and their opportunity to memorialize their academic career by celebrating with classmates, family members, friends, faculty and staff! All employees were asked to complete the Faculty & Staff Arching/Commencements Participation Form (below) by March 8.
Ceremonies at a Glance
May 22: Graduate Programs Commencement
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- Wednesday, May 22: Ramapo College Class of 2024 Graduate Programs Commencement Ceremony will be held on campus in the Arena of the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center.
- 2:30 p.m.: Marshals Arrive at Bradley Center
- 4:00 p.m.: Faculty & Staff Processing Arrive at Bradley Center
- 4:15 p.m.: Bradley Center Doors Open for Graduates and Guests
- 5:15 p.m.: Processional Begins (Ceremony is estimated to be 2 hours long)
May 23: Arching Day
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- Thursday, May 23: Ramapo College will host Class of 2024 graduates and their guests on campus for the time-honored tradition of Arching Day! The Arching Ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. Other special recognition programs take place on campus throughout the day.
- 10:00 a.m.: Nursing Pinning Ceremony
- 12:00 p.m.: Rites of Passage Ceremony
- 2:00 p.m.: Academic Achievement Ceremony
- 3:00 p.m.: Pictures and Music in the Grove
- 4:15 p.m.: Organization/Line-up of Graduates, Faculty, Staff, and Guests
- 4:30 p.m.: Arching Ceremony along Mansion Road
- 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Farewell Reception
May 29: Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
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- Wednesday, May 29: Caps Off! The Ramapo College Class of 2024 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will be held at Prudential Center in Newark. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. The ceremony will begin with the academic processional at 8:40 a.m.
- 6:00 a.m.: Marshals Arrive at Prudential Center (see transportation options below)
- 7:15 a.m.: Faculty & Staff Processing Arrive at Prudential Center (see transportation options below)
- 7:30 a.m.: Prudential Center Doors Open for Graduates and Guests
- 8:40 a.m.: Processional Begins (Ceremony is estimated to be 3 hours long)
Video Farewells: Submit by April 5
Are you ready for your close-up? New this year will be congratulatory and well wishes videos from our Faculty & Staff for the Class of 2024. These videos will accompany the student’s video farewells that are shared online and at Pru.
Video Guidelines
The videos should be:
- Self-recorded using a mobile device
- No more than 10 seconds each
- No background music
- Landscape orientation
- May include multiple faculty/staff per video
Completed videos should be shared with commencement@ramapo.edu by April 5.
Service & Support Options
As an employee of the College, your options to support the Class of 2024 through our Arching and Commencement Ceremonies were to serve as a marshal or formally process!
Serve as a Marshal
- MARSHAL: If you serve as a marshal, you will generally wear Ramapo attire (see Cremony Attire below) while taking on organizational and operational responsibilities during the events, without which the ceremonies would not be possible! Roles are assigned based on prior years’ experiences and individuals’ interests and talents. Training sessions will be held in May for marshals. You may need to work with your supervisor/unit head to adjust your schedule (s) during the weeks of May 19 and 26 in anticipation of the total amount of time you will be expected to spend at these events. Managers will work with you to arrange for flex time, but compensatory time will not be earned.
Formally Process
- PROCESS: If you process, you will wear academic regalia (see Ceremony Attire below) while watching the ceremony and cheering for our graduates. At Arching, you will line Mansion Road. At the Commencement Ceremonies, you will be seated on the arena floor and may then move to congratulate graduates after they cross the stage. In addition, you may choose to start “the wave” or choreograph a flash mob performance. Information will be provided prior to the events with instructions on when to arrive, what to bring, and where to line up.
Ceremony Attire
Your attire for Arching and/or the Commencement Ceremonies will vary based on whether you choose to serve as a marshal or process.
Marshal Attire
- MARSHAL: Your attire for Arching will be a Ramapo shirt. Your attire at either Commencement Ceremony will be a Ramapo shirt, a black Bachelors robe, or all black, depending on your assignment. If you have previously been issued a Ramapo Commencement polo, please take the time to locate your shirt now. If you are issued Ramapo attire to serve as a marshal this year, please serve at two or more events.
Processional Attire
- PROCESS: If you process, you will wear academic regalia. If you do not own regalia, you may request rental regalia to wear for two or more events. If the College rents you regalia to formally process, please participate in at least two of the three ceremonies (i.e. Arching & Undergraduate Commencement; Arching & Graduate Programs Commencement; both Commencements; or Arching & both Commencements). You will receive an email with details on when and where to pick up your regalia.
Tentative Transportation Options to Prudential Center
Faculty and staff have three transportation options to get to and from Prudential Center in Newark for the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 29.
Shuttle
- SHUTTLE: Transportation from the College will be available to Newark and will leave at approximately 5:00 a.m. (for marshals) and 6:15 a.m. (for those processing) and will return to the College at the conclusion of the ceremony. You must sign-up for this transportation option when completing the Service Form.
Drive
- DRIVE: Parking at the Prudential Center is limited and expensive. The College encourages faculty and staff to carpool to ensure ample parking for our graduates and their families and to help minimize traffic in the area. When completing the Service Form, you are asked the town you are traveling from to help facilitate a carpool among colleagues. Please note this information will only be used for this purpose and will be kept confidential otherwise.
Mass Transit
- MASS TRANSIT: Prudential Center is easily accessible by NJ Transit trains, PATH, and Light Rail service and is located just two blocks from Newark Penn Station.
Please note travel expenses such as mileage, tolls, and bus or train tickets will not be reimbursed as employees understand that Prudential Center is their work location on May 29, 2024.
Employees and/or Dependents Graduating
Please contact People Operations and Employee Resources at poer@ramapo.edu if you are an employee who is graduating this year or if you have a dependent who is graduating this year. Congratulations!
Announcements Archive
FAQs
- If I choose to process and the College rents me regalia, do I have to participate in all three ceremonies?
- If the College rents you regalia to formally process, please participate in at least two of the three ceremonies.
- If I choose to marshal and the College issues me attire, do I have to participate in all three ceremonies?
- If the College issues you attire to serve as a marshal, please serve in at least two of the three ceremonies.
- Do I have to go to the office on Wednesday, May 29 if I am serving as a marshal at the Undergraduate Commencement that day?
- Marshals are not required to report to Ramapo on Wednesday, May 29 if they are working the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony that morning, as Prudential Center is their work location for the day. However, marshals should speak with their supervisors as some offices must be staffed that day.
- Do I have to go to the office on Thursday, May 30 if I worked the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony the day before?
- Yes, unless you use leave time, you are expected to be on campus on Thursday, May 30. The summer flex schedule starts on May 17. Plus, if you don’t come to work the next day, you will miss out on all the tantalizing debriefs of the prior day.
- Will future communications to employees about the Class of 2024 include obscure Shakespearean references?
- “Can such things be; And overcome us like a summer’s cloud, Without our special wonder…” – William Shakespeare