Members of the news media who wish to attend any of Princeton University's 2012 graduation ceremonies Sunday through Tuesday, June 3-5, must contact the University's Office of Communications no later than 3 p.m. Friday, May 25, to request credentials.
Seating for media is not guaranteed for any event; however, for those who want to view the event remotely, the Hooding ceremony for the Graduate School and Commencement are scheduled to be simulcast live at sites on campus and on local TV channels. Because of space limitations, photography and filming will be limited at some of the graduation events (please see the summary of events listed below for more information).
The class of 2012 will have its Baccalaureate on Sunday, June 3, Class Day on Monday, June 4, and Commencement on Tuesday, June 5.
To request credentials for Baccalaureate, Class Day, the Hooding ceremony or Commencement, news media must e-mail Martin Mbugua at mmbugua@princeton.edu, and provide the name, phone number and e-mail address for each person requesting credentials, in addition to specifying the event(s) for which credentials are being requested.
Media credentials for all events will be available for distribution from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, May 31-June 1, in the Office of Communications at 22 Chambers St., Suite 201, Princeton. Journalists must pre-register by Friday, May 25, for each event and receive advance confirmation of attendance because seating will be extremely limited.
Confirmed journalists who do not pick up credentials on the assigned dates will not be allowed entry to the events, and reserved seating will be available only for journalists who have registered in advance.
Below is a summary of the graduation events leading up to and including Princeton's 265th Commencement. For more information, visit the Commencement website at http://www.princeton.edu/commencement/events/.
---The Baccalaureate service will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 3, in the University Chapel. The speaker will be author and journalist Michael Lewis. Advance registration and advance pick-up of credentials is required. Media seating is in front of a large simulcast screen outside the chapel, where seating inside is reserved for seniors and the faculty procession. News photographers and film crews will not be permitted inside the chapel.
---The Class Day ceremony for seniors is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 4, on Cannon Green (Jadwin Gym in case of severe weather). Advance registration and advance pick-up of credentials is required for on-site media seating for this event. The speaker will be actor and comedian Steve Carell. (This event is tentatively open only to print media. Updates will be provided only to registered journalists, including TV reporters, who respond and indicate their interest in covering the event.)
--- The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, June 4, on Cannon Green (McCarter Theater in case of severe weather). The guest speaker is George Will, a columnist for The Washington Post. The Hooding ceremony requires credentials, so members of the media who plan to attend must specify their intent in advance.
---The Commencement program begins with the academic procession at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday on the front campus on Nassau Street. Members of the media who are not seated by 10 a.m. will not be allowed entry into the event. The University's 265th Commencement ceremony is slated for 11 a.m. on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall (Jadwin Gym in case of severe weather). Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman will preside over the event and address the graduates. Several honorary degrees traditionally are conferred, but names are not announced until that day. Advance registration and advance pick-up of credentials is required.
Journalists will receive confirmation and further instructions prior to the events.
Baccalaureate, Hooding and Commencement ceremonies are scheduled to be broadcast live on TigerNet Channel 7 on campus and on Channel 27 on Princeton cable television. The events also are scheduled to be webcast live and archived online for later viewing at www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/. Streaming video of the events for iPhones also will be available on the WebMedia site.
The Baccalaureate ceremony will be simulcast in Richardson Auditorium, McCormick Hall, Room 101, Betts Auditorium, and McCosh Hall, Rooms 10 and 50.
The Hooding ceremony is scheduled to be simulcast in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall. If, due to rain, the event is held at McCarter Theater, the Hooding Ceremony is scheduled to be simulcast in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall and Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
Commencement is planned to be simulcast in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. No tickets will be required at the simulcast site.
Class Day will be simulcast in McCosh Hall, Room 10, Betts Auditorium and McCormick Hall, Room 101. No tickets will be required for the simulcast sites.
A final determination about potential online video archiving for Class Day has not been made, but registered media will receive an update as part of the media instructions distributed before the events.