Letter From the Dean

Caps and Gowns

Diplomas

Disability Services Seating & Parking

Faculty Information

General Alumni Association

Local Visitors Bureaus

Parking Information

Photography

Processional

Schedule of Departmental Ceremonies

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Severe Weather Plan

Speaker

Student Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Phone Numbers

Main Commencement

Letter from the Dean

January 2007

Dear Graduates:

Congratulations to all of you on the successful completion of your graduate studies! As you reflect on this important accomplishment and your time at Carolina, I believe you will view this as one of the most meaningful and rewarding times in your life. The Graduate School's Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. at Memorial Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Each graduate student who participates in this ceremony will be called to the stage to have the hood of the commencement regalia conferred by his or her advisor or dissertation committee chair. Family and friends are invited to attend this ceremony.

Graduate students are also encouraged to attend the University-wide commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 13.

For questions about the Hooding Ceremony contact the Graduate School.

Again, I extend my warmest congratulations to you on your academic achievements. As you make your way into the world, whether in an academic or other professional setting, I wish you the greatest success in your endeavors.

Linda Dykstra
Dean of the Graduate School

Hooding Speaker

Dr. William "Bill" Carter Jenkins, PhD, MPH

Dr. Jenkins graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Morehouse College in 1969. He earned the Master of Science Degree in Biostatistics from Georgetown University in 1974. Bill earned the Master of Public Health (MPH) and the PhD in Epidemiology in 1983 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed post-doctoral work in biostatistics at Harvard University in 1987.

Dr. Jenkins joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1967 as a member of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as Mathematical Statistician in his first assignment with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and later was its first Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. He left the Commissioned Corps in the mid 1970s to pursue doctoral studies. In 1980 Dr. Jenkins accepted the position of Statistician in the National Center for HIV/STD/TB Prevention (NCHSTP), formerly known as the National Center for Prevention Services. Since that time, he has held managerial positions including Chief of the Research and Evaluation Statistics Section in the Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Manager of the National Minority Organizations HIV Prevention Program.

Dr. Jenkins managed the Participants Health Benefits Program that assures health services for survivors of the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.” He has been a champion of opportunity for underserved populations during his tenure at CDC. He has served as an expert on health disparities research and has managed the Tuskegee and Minority Health Programs within the Office of the Director, NCHSTP. In addition to his considerable responsibilities at CDC, Dr. Jenkins teaches medical, graduate and undergraduate students in epidemiology, biostatistics, ethics and public health at Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine. He has been a longtime advisor on the development of MPH programs at Morehouse School of Medicine and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Jenkins is currently the Associate Director of the Public Health Sciences Institute and the Research Center on Health Disparities at Morehouse College.

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Student Information

In March, all May doctoral candidates, and last year's August and December graduates, will receive an electronic invitation to the Hooding Ceremony. Please RSVP by the deadline posted within that e-mail.

Caps and Gowns

Regalia for the PhD graduate will be available to purchase and to rent.

Click here for more information on regalia sales.

(Prices below are subject to change.)

• PhD Regalia RENTAL, total $59.99
• Custom Doctoral Regalia, $600.00 - $1,200.00

Deadline for custom regalia purchase is March 16. Regalia will be on sale at 10% off between March 5 and 9.

Rental regalia deadline is March 23.

Keepsake Doctoral Regalia can be purchased online or at Student Stores from April 27 - May 13.

Commencement announcements can be purchased through Herff Jones.

Diplomas

Doctoral diplomas will be available for distribution immediately following Commencement, on Sunday, May 13, until 2 p.m. unless your department is having a departmental ceremony.

Disability Services, Seating and Parking

Services for guests with disabilities are available. If you require accommodations, special seating, parking, interpreter services, etc., please contact the Department of Disability Services, 09 Steele Building, Campus Box #5100, (919)962-8300 (TDD).

Faculty Information

Faculty and Deans who are attending the Hooding ceremony and wish to march in the academic processional, should line up at 9:30 a.m. The location will be announced at a later date.

Faculty are expected to wear full academic regalia. If you wish to rent or purchase academic regalia, you can arrange to do so by calling Eve Bradshaw in Student Stores at 962-2427. Faculty who hold Carolina doctorates may also purchase distinctive Carolina regalia through Student Stores.

Reserved parking for faculty and members of the Platform Party will be in the Bynum-Steele Lot and the Swain lot.

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General Alumni Association

You are invited to become a member of the General Alumni Association at a special half-price rate. As our graduation gift to you, we are offering a one year membership for $20 -- that's half off the normal annual dues of $40. We are also offering the Class of 2007 a $50 discount on life membership in the Association.

There is no better way to keep in touch with Carolina and your Tar Heel friends and classmates than through membership in your General Alumni Association. The GAA provides many activities and benefits including an annual subscription to the Carolina Alumni Review, as well as access to Alumni Career Services, short and long term major medical plans, plus more.

You may also participate in local and regional Carolina Club activities. With over 80 clubs throughout the U.S. and abroad, there are many opportunities for fun, fellowship and networking with other Carolina graduates.

Stop by and visit us at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Stadium Drive, or for more information on membership in the Association, e-mail: membership@unc.edu

Local Visitors Bureaus

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau  and the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau Web sites provide information on local lodging, restaurants, scheduled events, shopping, tours, and area resources.

Parking Information

Parking for guests attending the Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony on Saturday, May 12 will be available in most campus lots. They include the Morehead Lot on Franklin Street, Emerson Drive and Davis Library Drive, the Old East Lot, the N-7 lot on Pittsboro Street as well as the N4 Cobb Tennis Court lots off Raleigh Street. Guests needing parking accommodations for the elderly or disabled should contact the Office of Disability Services at 962-8299 or 962-8300.

Reserved parking for faculty and members of the Platform Party will be in the Bynum-Steele Lot and the Swain lot.

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Photography

Professional photographers from Chappell Studios will be on stage at the Hooding Ceremony to photograph each student as they are hooded. Free proofs will be mailed to you and online viewing will be available at www.chappell.com. There are no fees and there is no obligations to purchase photographs.

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Scholarships and Financial Aid

A graduating student who has borrowed from University loan funds or from the Federal Perkins, National Direct, Health Professions, or Stafford Loan Programs must have an exit interview in the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid before leaving the University. Failure to come for an interview and to sign the required repayment agreement could result in a loan being declared delinquent. Notices about interview times will be sent to borrowers by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid prior to the end of the semester. Contact the officeat 311 Pettigrew Hall, Campus Box # 2300; (919) 962-8396.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need tickets?

Yes. Tickets will be needed for the 2007 Graduate School Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. Each candidate will be limited to 4 tickets each. Tickets will be distributed through the Memorial Hall box office from April 24th until May 12th. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The box office will open again on Saturday, May 12th from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Any unclaimed tickets will be distributed on a first come - first served basis beginning at 9:30 a.m. As seating is limited in Memorial Hall, there will be a live simulcast provided in Carroll Hall Auditorium, Room 111, for any additional guests and family who wish to attend. Please contact disabilityservices@unc.edu if special accommodations are needed for you or your ticketed guests.

2. What time do graduates need to be there?

The 2007 Graduate School Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be held in Memorial Hall. The Ph.D. processional will form in the across the street from Memorial Hall on the New East lawn. Students and their faculty advisors should arrive no later than 9:00 a.m. in full regalia.

3. How long does the ceremony usually last?

About two hours.

4. Can I be hooded during this Ceremony but not officially graduate until
later this year?

No. Only candidates who have met all degree requirements for a May graduation (and August and December graduates from the PREVIOUS academic year) will be hooded at each Hooding Ceremony. Once you officially graduate in a future semester, please e-mail graduationcandidates@unc.edu and request an invitation to the following years Hooding Ceremony.

5. What happens if it rains?

The check-in process may be moved indoors, but the 2007 Graduate School Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be held in Memorial Hall rain or shine.

6. Where do we park?

Parking for guests attending the Ph. D. Hooding Ceremony on Saturday, May 12 will be available in most campus lots. They include the Morehead Lot on Franklin Street, Emerson Drive and Davis Library Drive, the Old East Lot, the N-7 lot on Pittsboro Street as well as the N4 Cobb Tennis Court lots off Raleigh Street. Guests needing parking accommodations for the elderly or disabled should contact the Office of Disability Services at 962-8299 or 962-8300.

Reserved parking for faculty and members of the Platform Party will be in the Bynum-Steele Lot and the Swain lot.

7. Is there handicapped parking?

Contact Disability Services with requests for handicapped parking or seating. Office of Disability Services, 105 Steele Building, 962-8300.

8. Will they call out my name?

Yes. Doctoral candidates will be individually recognized.

9. How do I find out when my department is having its ceremony?

Please check the website soon to see the departmental schedule.

10. Where do I get my diploma?

Doctoral diplomas will be available for distribution immediately following the Sunday, May 13th, Commencement until 2 p.m. unless your department is having a departmental ceremony.

11. Is there housing on campus for Commencement?

No, housing is not available on campus for parents and guests. A list of hotels in the area is available on the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau and the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau Web sites. 

Helpful Phone Numbers

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