Commencement Activities and Event Details
Commencement Activities and Event Details
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Congratulations Hawks!
Rockhurst University wants the commencement celebration to be meaningful and joyful for all the graduates. All graduates, with graduation dates from August 2023 to August 2024, are invited to participate in the spring commencement ceremony on May 11, 2024. This will allow participation in the Commencement Mass and the Hawk Walk march to the Power and Light District, where the traditional hat toss is held before graduates celebrate with family and friends in an exciting environment.
We have included an outline of celebrations and commencement ceremonies below for you. Ceremonies on campus will be held at Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall in the Auditorium, 5351 Forest Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110, and Commencement will be at Municipal Auditorium, 301 W. 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.
2023 AUGUST ASSOCIATE, BACCALAUREATE, MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL GRADUATES
- Our students who participated in the November 4, 2023, commencement ceremony are welcome to join the May 11, 2024, commencement ceremony held at the Municipal Auditorium and Hawk Walk celebration in the Power and Light District.
2023 DECEMBER ASSOCIATES, BACCALAUREATE, MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREE CANDIDATES
- Candidates will be recognized on May 11, 2024, in the commencement ceremony at the Municipal Auditorium and Hawk Walk celebration in the Power and Light District.
2024 ASSOCIATES AND BACCALAUREATE DEGREE CANDIDATES (completing in May 2024 and August 2024)
- Associate and baccalaureate candidates will be recognized on May 11, 2024, in the commencement ceremony at the Municipal Auditorium and Hawk Walk celebration in the Power and Light District.
2024 UNDERGRADUATE NURSING DEGREE CANDIDATES PINNING (completing in May 2024 and August 2024)
- Friday, May 10, 2024 - A pinning ceremony will be on the Rockhurst Campus at the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall in the auditorium at 1:00 pm. Ticketing information and instructions will come from your college as we get closer to the event.
- Undergraduate nursing degree candidates will also be recognized at the May 11, 2024, commencement ceremony at the Municipal Auditorium and Hawk Walk celebration in the Power and Light District.
2024 MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREE CANDIDATES HOODING CEREMONY (completing in May 2024 and August 2024)
The hooding ceremony is a unique recognition of the achievement of each student who has earned a doctorate or final master's degree. Each candidate is introduced individually during the ceremony. You will have your hood placed on you on stage. The ceremony will be on the Rockhurst Campus at Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall, in the auditorium. Ticketing information and instructions will come from your college as we get closer to the event. Doors will open for guests one hour before the event.
- College of Business & Technology - May 10, 2024, at 9:00 am.
- College of Arts and Science and College of Nursing and Health Sciences - May 10, 2024, at 11:00 am.
2024 PINNING CEREMONY, Friday, May 10, 2024 (completing in May 2024 and August 2024):
The history of the pin can be traced back to the Crusades of the 12th century. During this time, new monks were given a Maltese cross, and they vowed to serve sick soldiers.
Fast forward to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale was honored with the Red Cross of St. George for her selfless efforts to care for injured men during the Crimean (kri-meen) War. She presented a medal of excellence to her hardest-working nursing graduates. Later, each graduate at The Nightingale School of Nursing was awarded a badge with a Maltese cross to identify them as nurses and prove their education.
In the United States, the first pins were presented to a graduating class at Bellevue Hospital in New York City in 1880. By 1916, awarding pins was a tradition in the United States.
Students, faculty, and alums designed today’s pin. They intended to combine the proud tradition and values of Rockhurst-Saint Luke’s nursing education.
Traditionally, blue, the color found on the outside border of your pin, represents truth and loyalty. The Maltese cross, located in the center of your pin, symbolizes service. The points on the Maltese cross represent the college's values. The pin will remind you of the dedication and perseverance needed to have come this far. The oval shape of your pin and the BSN insignia will identify you as a College of Nursing and Health Sciences graduate.
- The ceremony will be on the Rockhurst Campus at Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall, in the auditorium on May 10, 2024, at 1:00 pm. Ticketing information and instructions will come from your college as we get closer to the event. Doors will open one hour before the event.
COMMENCEMENT MASS Friday, May 10, 2024:
It is a celebration that honors our graduating class. All graduates, family, friends, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend on May 10, 2024, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1001 E. 52nd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110. The Mass will start at 3:00 pm and generally lasts an hour. Doors open around 2:30 pm. Graduates, please wear your regalia, cap, gown, tassel, and hood (hoods are for master's and doctoral students). Please report to Conway Hall, where you will line up on the Kinerk Commons (Quad). All graduates will process over to Mass together.
RECEPTION Friday, May 10, 2024:
Following Mass, a reception will be held at Rockhurst University on the Kinerk Commons (Quad). Graduates, family, and friends are invited. Light refreshments will be served. There will be fun photo opportunities. The reception will start around 4:00 pm.
COMMENCEMENT Saturday, May 11, 2024:
The Commencement Ceremony & Celebration will occur on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 1:00 pm at Municipal Auditorium, 301 W 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105. Doors will open to guests at noon. Please enter the building on 13th Street. No tickets are required, and seating is on a first-come, first-seated. Graduates, please be at the Municipal Auditorium at noon and follow the signs to your location on the lower level. Please ensure you have your regalia: a cap, gown, tassel, and hood (hood is for master's and doctorate students). You may not walk in the program if you do not have your regalia. Please wear appropriate attire under your gown. We strongly suggest that you not wear heels. You will need to walk from the lower level up to the main auditorium at Municipal. You will also walk from the Municipal Auditorium to the Power and Light District. For further information on your regalia, please click the link on the right of this page. The ceremony will start promptly at 1:00 pm and generally lasts 1 1/2 hours.
Protocol: Commencement, Hooding, and Pinning are significant for graduates. It marks a pinnacle of achievement. To ensure the dignity and solemnity of this occasion, please be mindful of the following:
- Rockhurst's Code of Conduct applies at the Commencement/Hooding/Pinning Ceremony.
- Graduating students, please be respectful of your fellow graduates by staying for the entire ceremony.
- Use of alcohol and/or controlled substances is prohibited at campus celebration events and Municipal Auditorium. Students who appear to have been drinking excessively or are under the influence will be refused admission or asked to leave the event.
- No food or drink will be permitted in the line-up area. You may not leave personal belongings in the line-up area. Please give your items to your family or friends. Rockhurst University is not responsible for items left in this area.
- Guests should arrive in time to be seated in the arena before the procession begins, preferably one hour before the scheduled start for the ceremony. Please do not visit the graduates on the lower level.
- Late guests will not be allowed to enter the area during the procession. Late arrivals will be able to enter at appropriate intervals during the ceremony.
- Guest seating is first come, first seated.
- You may not have professional photographers/video personnel at the Ceremony. Family and friends are not allowed in the auditorium seating area designated for graduates during the procession and the Ceremony.
- Mute/Silence cell phones, pagers, and similar devices during the ceremony.
- Balloons of any kind, signs, and noise-makers are prohibited.
Programs: Several years ago, our Student Senate passed a measure to reduce paper on campus as part of the campus green initiative that flows from the Jesuit value of caring for our common home. This calls us to take measures to care for and protect our planet. As part of this initiative, graduation programs are electronic. QR codes will be posted in Arrupe Hall and at the Municipal Auditorium for you to access an electronic version of the program. We will also post the program on our website after the ceremony for those who wish to have a printed copy.
HAWK WALK:
Following Commencement, students will process out of the Municipal Auditorium and be part of our annual graduation tradition of the Hawk Walk to KC Live! in the Power and Light District, 13 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri. Graduates will process down 13th St. in a Rock E. Hawk and Bagpipe lead parade to the KC Live stage. At the KC Live stage, there will be a short welcome program and the OFFICIAL cap toss with Sandra Cassady, President of Rockhurst University, and members of the RU Young Alumni Council.
Family and Friends are invited to join in our walk.
After the program, there will be fun photo booth opportunities, music, and food and drink specials. Congratulations, HAWKS, you did it.
PARKING:
On Campus, parking is available directly across from Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall, in the Bellarmine Lot, and the Brown Lot. The parking garage is also located on Troost between Rockhurst Road and 51st. For further assistance, please refer to our campus map.
Downtown Kansas City: The Municipal Auditorium is at 301 W 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105. Please allow yourself plenty of time to find parking. For further information on parking near the Municipal, please click here. You can also reserve your parking spot at the bottom of the page.
Power and Light: The KC Live! Garage offers free daytime parking for up to three hours with validation from any Power & Light District merchant between 6 am and 5 pm (Monday - Friday). Evening parking is available for just $3* with validation after 5 pm (Monday - Friday) and all day Saturday and Sunday (12-hour max; with validation).
*Parking rates are subject to change based on special events / T-Mobie Center events.
Future Ceremony Dates through 2026:
ALL degree levels and disciplines are honored in the same Commencement Ceremony. Dates/times/locations are all subject to change.
Graduates will be honored in the following Commencement Ceremonies:
- Saturday, May 11, 2024, 1:00 pm Municipal Auditorium (301 W. 13th Street, KCMO 64105)
- Saturday, May 10, 2025, 1:00 pm Municipal Auditorium(301 W.13th Street, KCMO 64105)
- Saturday, May 09, 2026, 1:00 pm
Graduation Mass, Hooding, and Pinning Ceremonies are to be announced later.