Commencement Information

Location

Commencement will take place at the Winthrop-King Centre on Shorter’s Main campus on Thursday, May 8^th, 2025. Students will walk in either the 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM ceremony by the degree groups listed below:

10:00 AM Ceremony: Associate of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Management

2:00 PM Ceremony: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Master of Education, and Master of Teaching.

Directions & Parking

Get directions to the Winthrop-King Centre here.

Handicapped parking is available in front of the Winthrop-King Centre. Graduates and their families may park on Main Campus; carpooling is encouraged.

Watch Live & MP3 of Commencement

Graduation can be watched live online or replayed later at www.shorter.edu/SUTV.

• Attendance at commencement is strongly encouraged. Graduates must register through the Graduation Confirmation form in Scholar to indicate their intent to participate in the Commencement ceremony. The Graduation Confirmation form for the May 2025 ceremony opens on Monday, February 3^rd at 8:00a.m. and will close at 5:00 PM on Friday, March 14^th. If you have any questions about this form or the graduation application, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@shorter.edu or 706-233-7205.

• Graduates will line up 60 minutes prior to the start of commencement. More detailed information will be added in this area later.

• There will be no storage area or security for personal items left in the check-in location at the commencement site.

• Candidates for graduation will receive an email to their Shorter University Hawkmail account containing cap and gown ordering instructions. If you have not received that email, please email registrar@shorter.edu and a staff member will review your account promptly.
• Orders must be made by the deadline in order to receive the cap and gown in time to walk on graduation day. After the deadline, a cap and gown is not guaranteed, and graduates may be responsible for paying rush shipping/production fees. Each graduate must wear his or her own cap and gown to commencement. Caps and gowns for all graduates are ordered and paid for online individually by each graduate. Please note that cap and gown fees paid to the vendor are separate from the graduation application fee paid to Shorter. Click here to start your order: Shorter University Cap & Gown Ordering
• Only approved Shorter Academic stoles/cords may be worn over a graduation gown. A blue and white honor cord will be provided at commencement during check-in to undergraduate students earning Latin Honors. The criteria used for determining Latin honors is located in the academic catalog, Academic Policies & Procedures/Degrees with Honors section. All other cords and stoles must be on the approved list held by the Registrar’s Office. To determine whether or not other cords or stoles are on the approved list, please email a picture of it along with a description to registrar@shorter.edu and a staff member will promptly reply to your question.

IMPORTANT: Commencement is an academic ceremony meriting dignity in dress and behavior. Attire under the cap and gown should be dark slacks and shoes for men and dark clothing and shoes for ladies. No graduate is allowed to place anything on his/her cap, gown, or hood. Graduates who arrive with decorated or embellished caps or hoods will have their hood/cap confiscated. They may process in and sit with the other graduates but will not be permitted to walk across the stage. A security officer will be present to escort those from the line who are non-compliant.

• All guests must present a ticket for entry into the ceremony (this includes children). Tickets are requested by graduates through the Graduation Confirmation form on Scholar.

• All financial obligations to the University must be cleared before the commencement ceremony in order to receive guest tickets, participate in the ceremony, and receive a diploma. This includes library fines and all other fines and fees collected by the Business Office. If you owe a balance, please call the Business Office at 706-233-7222 to resolve any outstanding holds or balances quickly.

• Graduation invitations/announcements can be ordered through Jostens at www.jostens.com or 1-800-225-3687.

• Diplomas will be mailed to May 2025 graduates 2 weeks after the ceremony. Diplomas for August 2024 and December 2024 graduates were previously sent following their conferral date. Conferral is usually one week after the last day of the semester.

Commencement is a memorable day and we know you’ll want to mark the day with photographs. Looking for a great spot to capture the memories? Find some of the most popular spots for meaningful and Instagram-worthy photos below:

• Fountain in the front circle, in front of #22 on the campus map
• Exit to Serve gate, near #17 at the entrance to the front circle on the campus map
• Porter Garden, #25 on the campus map

Shorter University welcomes you to our campus as you celebrate your graduate.  We join you in honoring your graduate on this important day.  We hope you find the information helpful as you visit Rome and our beautiful campus for this special occasion.

Directions, campus map, and parking details can be found in the Ceremony Information section at the top of this page.

Hotels & Lodging

Dining and Things to Do

Rome has much to offer visitors.  From locally owned restaurants to outdoor adventures, from your favorite chain eateries to history lessons, we know you will find something to enjoy while in Rome and Floyd County.

Dining options

Things to Do