Roski Ceremony: Friday May 17 at 11am in the Parkside Hall Courtyard [Seach 'PRB' on the map]
Line up at 10:30am to fill out photo cards.
No tickets are required / MAP USC Commencement Information USC's commencement consists of one main ceremony for all degree candidates and their families, followed by smaller ceremonies for individual schools and programs throughout the day. Students are officially designated graduates of the university at the first (or main) ceremony, but they do not march across a stage, receive a diploma cover, and take a photo until they attend their school's satellite ceremony.
Guests should plan on arriving on campus by 7:00 a.m. to secure parking (which is free), and to find a seat in or around Alumni Park. Please note, guests will be allowed to save no more than an additional two seats each. Ceremony programs will be available for guests at tented information booths on campus; programs will be pre-set on graduates' seats.
There is reserved seating at the front of the park for guests with wheelchairs. Because space is limited, we can only allow one escort per disabled guest in this section.
Students line up at their assembly points by 8:00 a.m. Commencement begins at 8:30 a.m. as 5,000 degree candidates march into Alumni Park from its four corners. Students process with their school, behind cardinal and gold banners listing the name of the school, and heraldic flags depicting the school's traditional academic icons.
The main ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. This ceremony includes addresses from the president, the valedictorian, and the commencement speaker; honorary degrees are bestowed; and students are officially recognized (en masse) as graduates of the university. The ceremony concludes by 10:15 a.m., and students march out of the park back to their assembly points.
Following the main ceremony, most students and families head to their schools' satellite ceremonies. Many ceremonies begin around 10:45 a.m., and most conclude within two hours. Some schools will host a reception before or after their ceremony.
Parking near campus fills up early. We highly recommend taking the Expo Line Metro which stops at Trousdale and Exposition.Guests staying on the West side: the Culver City station offers a large free parking lot and a 15 minute ride to USC.
Guests staying downtown can park at Union Station or the Civic Center and transfer to the Expo line.
Expo line stations:
http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/exposition/images/expo_ph1_fact_sheet.pdf
Park and ride stations listed here: http://www.metro.net/interactives/go_metro/
Contacts: Kate Strand
(213) 740-6261
kstrand@usc.edu
Annie Watanabe
(213) 740-6268
awatanab@usc.edu