Commencement Ceremony

Heritage College Class of 2024 Commencement

Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 10 a.m.

Convocation Center - 95 Richland Ave, Athens, OH 45701

OU-HCOM Commencement Contact

For questions related to HCOM Commencement, please contact Sarah Lawrence by phone at 740-593-2164 or by email ( lawrences@ohio.edu ).

Agenda

Thursday, May 9 – Athens

1:00 p.m. | Grads on the Greens Golf Scramble
5:00 p.m. | Grads Gathering at Little Fish Brewing Company

Friday, May 10 – Athens

10:30 a.m. | Graduate Rehearsal (mentors optional) at Convocation Center
1:00 p.m. | Awards Ceremony at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium - Reception to follow

4:30 p.m. | Office of Inclusion Graduation Celebration - for questions, contact HCOM Inclusion

Saturday, May 11 – Athens

8:30 a.m. | Doors open to guests at the Convocation Center
9:00 a.m. | Graduates and mentors will assemble at the Convocation Center
10:00 a.m. | Commencement ceremony begins

Graduate Apparel Sale

The Class Officer organized a sale for graduating students. Deadline to order April 1st.All items will be shipped directly to the purchaser after the sale closes. Alumni, Parent, and Campus Specific Ohio Medicine Gear options are available. The Class Officers put together a document to show color options for the items and details for campus-specific items . There are some great apparel options that would make great graduation gifts. Link to Order .

Speaker

Heritage College alumnus Andrew Yuan, D.O. ('87), has accepted Executive Dean Johnson's invitation to speak at the Heritage College’s 2024 Commencement ceremony on May 11! Read the full announcement here.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr. Yuan arrived in the United States at 10 years old with dreams of becoming a physician. That dream was brought to the brink of extinction following a life-altering accident in which he lost an arm and a leg. As you may have guessed, Dr. Yuan persevered, and ultimately, his physical challenges fueled his pursuit of a career in physiatry. Today, as a prominent osteopathic physiatrist in Fairfield, Connecticut, Dr. Yuan is known for transforming lives as he helps his patients overcome disability.

Information for Graduates

Graduates must apply with the Registrar's Office to graduate with Ohio University - learn more about applying to graduate .
Graduation announcements are available through Ohio University Printing Services .

Safety Protocols

For the safety and security of those attending Commencement, all bags entering the Convocation Center will be subject to inspection. This includes but is not limited to purses, backpacks, camera bags, and diaper bags.

Graduate Academic Regalia

All graduates who plan to participate in Commencement must wear regalia. Regalia will be shipped directly to each graduate, and graduates are expected to bring their academic attire with them on graduation day. The deadline to graduate regalia is April 4th, 2024. Graduates should unpack their regalia upon arrival to verify that the regalia is correct and to steam their regalia.

Order Graduate Regalia

Any issues with regalia upon arrival can be directed to (540) 387-0000 or customercare@oakhalli.com .

Note: This is not the same link for mentors who wish to rent regalia.

Due to changes in academic regalia provided by our vendor we highly discourage graduates from borrowing academic regalia from previous HCOM graduates in order to have a unified look among all graduates. Our current regalia was used for the first time with the Class of 2023 - gowns should not be borrowed or purchased from the Class before the graduating class of 2023.

Honorary cords will be distributed at the graduate rehearsal on Friday morning.

Diplomas & Degree Verifications

Diplomas will be mailed to all graduates. If graduates need to update their mailing address or verify the address on file, please contact graduation@ohio.edu as soon as possible to update or verify your address. Diplomas are scheduled to be mailed 10-15 business days after graduation. This address will also be used for mailing items to graduates who do not attend the in-person ceremony after the event.

Certified Electronic Credentials can be ordered from the registrar's office. Learn more about an official, highly secure electronic copy of your Ohio University diploma/certificate that may be downloaded and shared for a lifetime.

Degree Verifications
The Senior Director of Student Affairs provides proof of degree verification. Graduates of Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine seeking degree verification for residency or state licensure can request verification by submitting all requests by email to Amanda Mansfield Records Management Specialist, Amanda Mansfield, by fax 740-590-2399, or by mail to:

OU-HCOM Student Affairs
191 W. Union St. Heritage Hall 283B
Athens, OH 45701

For questions about degree and enrollment verifications, please contact Amanda Mansfield by email or by phone 740-593-2156.

Information for Guests

Parking and Shuttles

Friday Parking: The Awards Ceremony will be held at Memorial Auditorium and parking is very limited near that location. There will be plenty of parking around the convocation center and a continuous shuttle (wheelchair accessible) will run from:

11:30 am - 4:30 pm from Grosvenor Hall to Memorial Auditorium

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm from Grosvenor Hall to Memorial Auditorium to Heritage Hall

4:30 pm - 7:00 pm from Heritage Hall to Grosvenor Hall

CATCAB-accessible transit is also available for guests in wheelchairs and with other mobility limitations. Guests wishing to utilize CATCAB should call Parking Services (740-593-1917) to schedule a pick-up time - 30 minutes advanced notice is requested.

Saturday Parking: Parking will be available around the convocation center.

Seating and Accommodations

Seating in the Convocation Center is on a first-come, first-served basis, and there will be no tickets issued. There is no limit on the number of guests that graduates may invite to the ceremony.

Mobility Devices: The venues do not offer mobility devices (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.) for guest use on-site for the Awards Ceremony or Commencement. Please make arrangements to arrive at the venues with the appropriate mobility devices. As a courtesy, we have created a list of businesses around Ohio that offer mobility device rentals . The companies listed are not affiliated with Ohio University or the Heritage College.

Accessibility Seating: There are designated seating sections for guests who have limited mobility and for guests who are full-time wheelchair users. We ask that only one additional guest sit in this section to maximize our accessibility seating options. Ushers will be available to direct guests to these seats.

Limited Mobility Seatingis available in the designated sections of the lower and upper balconies and requires the navigation of 1-2 steps in general seating. The wheelchair and stroller check area will be available in the main lobby.

Guests who are full-time wheelchair usersand one guest will be directed to the floor in the Wheelchair User Seating Area, which is on the right side of the Graduate Seating and is accessible.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing:An American Sign Language (ALS) interpreter will provide interpreting services at the ceremony. There is a designated ASL seating section for the best view of the interpreter. The interpreter will also be shown on the live stream link for guests watching the ceremony remotely.

Lactation: Available at 217 on the concourse there is a Mamava lactation suite to use as a comfortable, private location for individuals needing to pump or nurse. To utilize the Mamava suite, you will need to download the Mamava App on the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app will allow you to unlock the Mamava suite in the Convocation Center. You can also use the code on the door, which is 8008.

Baby Changing:Located in the accessible stall in each restroom (last stall).

Security:Bag checks will be performed at the entrances. All bags and persons are subject to search.

Prohibited Items:Aerosol cans, Alcohol, Animals, Balloons, Bookbags/Backpacks, Commercial Video/Audio Equipment and Tripods, Fireworks, Food/Beverages, Hoverboards/Skateboards, Ice Chests/Coolers, Laser Pointers, Noisemakers/Airhorns, Weapons (including pepper spray and knives/blades of any length), Signs, Flags, and Banners, Poles for signs, flags, and banners, and any item(s) deemed hazardous by event personnel.

Travel/Arrangements/Lodging

For lodging and local restaurants, visit the Athens County Visitors Bureau .

Information for Mentors

A mentor is someone who has encouraged and fostered a student's academic accomplishments. They should best represent the spirit and the art of medical education. A mentor is not required for graduation. The criteria for mentor selection are as follows:

Each student may choose ONE mentor for Commencement.
The mentor must have a doctoral degree (degrees include, but are not limited to: D.O., M.D., D.D.S., D.P.M., D.V.M., D.C., D.M.D., O.D., Ph.D., J.D., etc.).
The mentor must be an established member of the professional community who has practiced/worked in their field for a minimum of one year. Peers and fellow classmates cannot serve as mentors.

Mentor Academic Regalia

Mentors will be expected to wear academic regalia. Mentors are welcome to bring their own regalia or order rental regalia. The deadline for renting mentor regalia is March 25th, 2024. Rented regalia will be available for pickup on the morning of commencement in the lower lobby of the Convocation Center, beginning at 8:45 a.m. Rented regalia should be returned immediately following the ceremony.

Order Mentor Rental Regalia

Note: This is not the same link for graduates who are purchasing regalia.

Rented Regalia for mentors includes gown, hood, tassel, and mortarboard cap. (Hats are not required for mentors.) , Tams can be purchased for mentors who wish to wear a tam instead of the mortarboard cap. Tams are available as an individual item to purchase.

Order Individual Tam (Steps to Place Tam Order: Click Let's get started > Click Choose for HCOM Package - Ship to Home > Click Individual products, Click Tam, and complete the remaining steps for checkout.

Virtual Viewing

Livestream Link

Graduates who wish to participate virtually can watch the live-stream ceremony. Graduates who are viewing the live stream ceremony remotely will have their names called after all in-person graduate names are called. The live stream will be watch-only. Graduates will not be on the screen from home as their name is called. Graduates are encouraged to share this website with anyone who wishes to watch the live-stream ceremony.

Link to Watch Awards Ceremony

Link to Watch Commencement

Virtual Program

View the Virtual Program

Ceremony Photos

Awards, Commencement, and Military commissioning photos will be available following the event for guests and graduates. The Grad Team provides pre-, during, and post-event photography. Each graduate will have a photo taken after they cross the stage and with their mentor (if applicable). Each graduate is gifted a 5x7 photo of their choice (taxes and shipping included). Photos are available for digital download or print copies on the website: https://thegradteam.com/ouhcom/ . Graduates will receive more details about their photo gift certificate by email.