Florida Commencement Ceremony Update:
Commencement exercises will be held in the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds located at 4800 US Highway 301 North, Tampa, FL 33610. Venue information and preferred hotel partners of the Florida State Fairgrounds at https://floridastatefair.com/lodging/hotels/.
The Tampa Commencement ceremonies will follow the schedule below:
Friday, May 21, 2021
Evening Ceremony
7:00 p.m.
College of Education and Social Services Ed.S and Ed.D Students
College of Arts and Science Graduate Students
Worldwide Undergraduate Students
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Morning Ceremony
9:00 a.m.
Tapia College of Business Graduate Students
College of Education and Social Services Graduate Students
Afternoon Ceremony
2:30 p.m.
University Campus Undergraduate Students
Tapia College of Business DBA Students
Guests may arrive one hour prior to the start of each ceremony and should be seated within 15 minutes of the ceremony start time.
Facemasks are required for all within the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Social distancing will be implemented. Please be mindful of others.
Students will receive a personalized notice of their ceremony date and times based on their program and campus location.
Separately, registered students will receive an email titled Commencement Ceremony Guest Tickets from commencement@saintleo.edu via marchingorder.com. The message will be sent to the email address you listed on your RSVP response form. Check your Spam/Junk folders. If still not located, email commencement@saintleo.edu to have it reissued.
This notice is requesting that participating graduates provide the name you would like displayed on the screen as you walk across the stage, the phonetic spelling of your name, and a recorded pronunciation of your name prior to April 27th at Midnight EST. After you have confirmed your name and pronunciation, you may access the account to claim your 4 guest tickets anytime until the date of the ceremony.
Each graduate will be given four (4) guest tickets to accommodate social distancing. There is no charge for these tickets. Additional tickets are not available. Tickets will be distributed electronically and can be claimed in Marching Order after submitting your form.
Seats will be sectioned into pods of four (4) to enforce social distancing. Seating will not be assigned. Guest seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. All guest seating is bleacher style with stairs to access. Please have your guest visit an attendant at the ceremony if handicapped seating is required. Children 2 and older must have their own seats and therefore must have a ticket.
Baby carriers and strollers are permitted in the Expo Hall; however, not into the bleachers. Please note that this is bleacher seating so the stroller will be left unattended. Do not leave valuables with the stroller unattended.
Please make post commencement plans in accordance with the published ceremony schedule. Each ceremony will be approximately 2 hours. Graduates and guests should remain seated through the conclusion of the ceremony.
Friends and family who are not able to attend the ceremony in person may watch via live streaming video. A link to access the live stream will be posted on the day of the ceremony at www.saintleo.edu.
By now, you should have ordered your academic regalia (cap and gown). The deadline to order and ship to your home address has been extended to April 16, 2021. Orders placed after April 16 will have Rush Shipping fees applied. Order online directly from Herff Jones at www.herffjones.com/college/slu. Regalia is required to participate in the ceremony. Contact the Bookstore with any questions about caps and gowns at 352-588-8344 or Maureen Tarpey at maureen.tarpey@saintleo.edu.
Before May 3, 2021, you must submit your degree conferral application (if you have not already). To submit this required application and payment, go to eLion – Academic Profile – Application for Graduation-Degree Conferral. Payment of $125 with credit card is due at the time of submission. This application and payment are required to confer your degree, issue your diploma, and participate in the Commencement ceremony.
You must be financially clear to participate in the Commencement event. Balances for 2021SP2 and prior will need to be resolved prior to May 14 to be eligible to walk. To make payment or to discuss your account balance, please contact Student Financial Services at 800-240-7658 or via email at AR@saintleo.edu.
Latin honor designations will be listed in the Commencement program. The designation is based on the cumulative grade point average earned at the end of the prior fall term/semester. Once all grades are posted and the degree is conferred, Latin honors are calculated and will be on your diploma and transcript. Latin honors are awarded to bachelor degree recipients only. Honor cords are not given for Latin honors.
| ORGANIZATION | president Contact | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice Honor Society) | Sara Saienni | David Perksey |
| Alpha Psi Omega (National Theatre Honor Society) | Alexa Klein | Alicia Corts |
| American Marketing Association (AMA Alpha Mu Alpha) | Alexis Schlitt | Keith Jones |
| Beta Beta Beta (Biology Honors Society) | Moises Guadarrama | Dr. Laura Altfeld |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma (Scholastic Catholic Honor Society) | Valerie Wright | |
| Delta Mu Delta (Business Honors) | Dale Mancini | |
| Kappa Delta Pi (Future Educators Honors) | Carol McLeish Holly Atkins |
|
| Omicron Delta Kappa | Isabella Jacus | Frank Orlando |
| Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society) | Rhiannon Flanggan | Padraig Lawlor |
| Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society) | Penny Freeman | |
| Psi Chi (Psychology Honors) | Penny Freeman |
| Date and Time | group | website |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Phi Sigma | Criminal Justice students with UG 3.2 GPA or Graduate 3.4 GPA | http://www.alphaphisigma.org/ |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma (Delta Nu) | National Honor Society - 3.5 GPA | https://www.saintleo.edu/honor-society |
| Kappa Delta Pi | International Honor Society - Education Graduate 3.4 GPA | http://www.kdp.org/membership/students.php |
| Pi Gamma Mu | Junior, Senior, or Graduate students upper 35% with at least a 3.0 in social science degree | http://pigammamu.org/membership-requirements.html |
| Phi Alpha | Graduate of Social Work students with overall 3.0/3.25 in social work courses | http://phialpha.org/individual-membership.html |
| Phi Alpha | National Honors Society in Psychology-3.0/top 35% of class | https://www.psichi.org/?page=become_member#.WutqDdOWy3A |
| Upsilon Pi Epsilon | International Honor Society in the Computing and Information Disciplines - 3.0/upper 35% | http://upe.acm.org/membership.html |
Contact your Honor Society Advisor for information on other regalia such as cords. For international sashes, contact Paige Ramsey-Hamacher at paige.ramsey-hamacher@saintleo.edu in Center for Global Engagement. For Veteran cords, contact Luke McClees at ernest.mcclees@saintleo.edu. Veteran cords can be picked up at University Campus or at check-in on the day of the ceremony (these cords will not be mailed).
Leis, bouquets and Saint Leo Kukui Nut necklaces will be available for sale at the commencement ceremonies. Students/guests are encouraged to pre-order and pick up before each ceremony, that way graduates can wear the leis/kukui necklaces in pictures. Graduation Day Flowers Pre-order website: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/saintleo/
Be sure to bring your regalia. Academic regalia is required to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.
Facemasks are required. Graduates are permitted to carry a small purse and/or cell phone. Any belongings will need to be kept with the graduate throughout the ceremony. There is not a place to leave, store or secure personal belongings.
Do not bring large bags, laptops, selfie sticks, balloons, air horns or noisemakers. There is not a place to leave, store or secure personal belongings.
The Commencement Ceremony will take place rain or shine (hopefully it will be a sun-shiny Florida day). The Expo Hall is indoors so the ceremony will not be impacted by the weather.
If you or your guests require disability-related accommodations to participate in the commencement ceremony, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services at 352-588-8464 or adaoffice@saintleo.edu no later than (2 weeks before commencement date).
Saint Leo laptops and/or tablets are due back to the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) no later than noon on, May 6 for all graduating seniors. Devices that are NOT returned by this date will be billed up to $1,200 for the device (based on replacement value) and a $250 late fee. Graduates who fail to return their devices will be placed on a financial hold and will not receive their transcript or diploma without first settling the account. NOTE: If you return the device after noon on Thursday, May 6, you will still be liable for the $250 late fee. If you have any questions, please contact Ivey Moran in DoIT at Ivelise.Moran@saintleo.edu.
University Campus residential students should contact the Office of Residence Life at residence.life@saintleo.edu to discuss housing options for May 2021.
Grad Images will contact each graduate individually within a week after the ceremony. You will have the option to purchase professional photos of you on your special day!
Finally, if your plans have changed and you no longer intend to attend commencement, please send an email to commencement@saintleo.edu.
Regalia: www.herffjones.com/college/slu
Pre-order Flowers: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/saintleo/
Florida State Fairgrounds: http://www.floridastatefair.com/
Preferred Hotel Partners of the Florida State Fairgrounds: https://floridastatefair.com/lodging/hotels/
Phone: (352) 588-8233
Fax: (352) 588-8656
Registrar's Office
Saint Leo University
33701 State Road 52
PO Box 6665, MC 2278
Saint Leo, FL 33574
Registrar's Office Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Saturdays
Closed Sundays
