Commencement

Commencement Decorum and Safety Guidelines

Commencement is a special event for all involved. Please show respect for everyone who has come to share in the experience. To appropriately celebrate all graduates, speakers, faculty, staff and guests, please maintain a measure of decorum during the event. Students should return to their seats after receiving their diplomas and remain seated for the rest of the ceremony.

To promote positive experiences for all involved, banners, signs, flags, balloons, balls, noisemakers, umbrellas, glass bottles or any other objects that could potentially obscure or disrupt the event or pose possible hazards are not permitted. As Immaculata is a non-smoking campus, smoking is prohibited. Alcoholic beverages are also prohibited.

To ensure the safety of students and guests and to maintain a steady cadence while awarding degrees, guests are not permitted to leave their seats to capture photos. Legacy Photographics, the graduation photographer for Immaculata University, will help graduates create and treasure their graduation memories. Legacy will capture photos of each graduate, and the pictures will be emailed to the graduate’s student IU email account. For any questions regarding pictures, contact Legacy Photographics at 610-279-1791.

Commencement facilitators will be present on and near the stage and in the audience. Behavior deemed disruptive or inappropriate by the facilitators or security personnel will not be tolerated. Facilitators may remind students and guests of these guidelines and ask them to refrain from their disruptive or inappropriate behavior. Anyone who chooses to disregard these guidelines may be asked to leave campus.

We aim to ensure that the commencement ceremony remains a safe, memorable and joyous occasion. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a welcoming atmosphere for everyone who has worked to reach this moment.

Guest Information

No balloons are allowed in the theater.

An additional viewing area for the livestream is at Loyola Hall. No tickets are required.

Livestream

Families unable to attend the ceremony on campus may join via livestream on IU’s website.

Baccalaureate Mass

Saturday, May 17, 2025, 4:30 p.m. – Villa Maria House of Studies Chapel

The Baccalaureate liturgy will take place in the Villa Maria House of Studies Chapel, located at 1 Our Lady Circle (across the street from Immaculata University). Family and friends are welcome to attend, and no tickets are required for Baccalaureate Mass.

Graduates should wear academic attire. Priest and/or deacon relatives are welcome to assist at the Baccalaureate Liturgy. Graduates who have any Catholic clergy family members who will be attending the Mass should notify Father Royce Thomas at 610-647-4400 ext. 3570 or rthomas6@immaculata.edu by May 5.

Tickets

Guest entrance to University Commencement is by ticket only. All guests, including babies and children, will need a ticket to enter the Alumnae Hall Theater. Please be sure your family and friends are fully aware that each guest who enters the theater must have a ticket to do so.

Upon check-in, graduates will receive an envelope with their tickets. If a guest is not joining the party at the time, the graduate may leave the guest ticket(s) at will call.

Loyola Hall will be open for commencement livestream viewing. No tickets are required for entrance into Loyola Hall.

Accommodations

Those students and/or guests who will need special accommodations at the commencement ceremony, please contact Robert Pursel, Campus Safety Coordinator, at OneCard@immaculata.edu.

Arriving at Immaculata University

• Access to campus can be made from Alumnae Drive and Gillet Drive.
• Access is also available by entering Camilla Drive from Frazer Road.
• Immaculata Drive at King Road will be closed to all traffic.

Parking Information

Use this campus map for parking and event locations.

• Parking Lots: All lots except lot G will be open for guest parking.
• Disability Parking/Dropoff: In addition to spaces already marked for disability parking by signage, a section of Lot I will be reserved for disability parking.
  Attendees looking to park in these spaces should arrive early. However, drivers should be prepared to drop off passengers at these drop-off locations prior to parking their vehicles in the nearest available parking lot.
• No Parking Areas: Parking is not permitted along campus roadways or on grassy areas. Parking on roadways will restrict the smooth flow of traffic. More importantly, parked vehicles may impede the access of emergency vehicles.