Commencement

Both Mass and Commencement will be held indoors in the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center on the St. Norbert College campus.

All are welcome to attend the Mass. It is open seating and does not require a ticket. The Commencement ceremony requires a ticket for each attendee.

Yes, each graduate will be allotted six tickets, which will be distributed at the Cap & Gown event this spring.

Tickets are required for all guests, regardless of age. This is to comply with a safety requirement to assure an accurate building occupancy count in case of an emergency. Due to the length and nature of the Commencement ceremony, guests are discouraged from bringing young children into the arena.

The Commencement ceremony will be broadcast live in an overflow seating location: the first-floor presentation room in the Miriam B. & James J. Mulva Library. This location is appreciated by older and younger guests who are not able to sit for long periods of time and prefer to move around during the Commencement ceremony. No tickets are required for the overflow seating. 

Up to two additional tickets per graduate may be requested. Additional tickets are not guaranteed; they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested should email commencement@snc.edu to be added to the waitlist. 

If students have additional tickets that they do not need for the Commencement ceremony, they should email commencement@snc.edu to arrange returning them.

A fee of $200 is charged to all graduating students in the academic year of graduation via their SNC account.

All seating is on a first-come basis and the arena doors will be open beginning at 12:30 p.m. for the SNC Commencement ceremony.

The Commencement Brunch will take place at Ruth’s Marketplace on Sunday, May 17, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tickets are required for all attendees – $16.95 for adults, $12.95 for children ages 5-12 and free for children ages 0-4. Purchase tickets.

All campus parking lots at St. Norbert College are available for Commencement parking. An event-specific campus parking map will be available soon. ADA parking is available in lot P5; vehicles must have a disabled parking permit displayed. 

Some city streets will be available for parking. Please park properly and legally. Street parking requires a 4-foot setback from driveway entrances. Please cooperate in allowing emergency vehicle access by not parking on the dead-end streets south of campus. Also, St. Norbert College asks for your cooperation in not parking on college-owned or public lawns in the neighborhood before or after Commencement.

Volunteers carry extra tassels, cords, bobby pins, safety pins, etc., to assist students during lineup.

Following the Commencement ceremony, we invite graduates and guests to join the St. Norbert College campus community for a reception with drinks and light snacks on the patio outside of Michels Commons (rain site: Ruth’s Marketplace).

A college photographer will capture the moment of each graduate being congratulated by President Laurie Joyner. This color photo is free, and a digital version will be emailed to each graduate in early June.

You may also take your own photos, but we ask for your cooperation. Ushers will be in the area just to the left of the stage and will help you get positioned for a good photo shortly before your graduate crosses the stage. Please return to your seat immediately after taking your photos.

Yes, the Baccalaureate Mass will be streamed at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, May 17, and the Commencement ceremony will be streamed at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17. Links to the livestreams will be posted on this page. Both events will also be broadcast in an overflow seating location: the first-floor presentation room in the Miriam B. & James J. Mulva Library.

The video recording of the ceremony will continue to be available via YouTube after Commencement weekend.

The Commencement ceremony will last approximately two hours.

Yes! You are always welcome to use our beautiful campus as a backdrop for photos of your graduate and your family.

Taking a photo with the Abbot Pennings statue, located in the lobby of the Mulva Library, has become a beloved SNC tradition for our Green Knight grads – and this year will be no different! The library foyer will be open to allow students to snap a photo with the abbot and check this off their SNC bucket lists.

Yes, the SNC Bookstore, located in Todd Wehr Hall, will be open on Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Sunday, May 17, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

A sign-language interpreter will be on hand during both the Baccalaureate Mass and the Commencement ceremony. To ensure optimal viewing of the sign-language interpreter during the Commencement ceremony, please let the ticket collector know you would like to sit in the area reserved for those needing ADA accommodations. A limited supply of assisted listening devices will be available and can be picked up at the concession area in the lobby of the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center. Loaner wheelchairs also will be available upon request.

First aid will be available in the room next to the concession stand in the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center during the Commencement ceremony. St. Norbert College registered nurses will staff the first-aid station. Loaner wheelchairs will be available upon request.

In the unlikely event of an emergency, please refer to these documents:

• Emergency exits

• Emergency shelters

St. Norbert College is a tobacco-free campus. Smoking, vaping, and chewing tobacco are not permitted in any college building or on the college grounds. Please respect this campus policy, which was endorsed by the SNC Student Government Association.

You may also find the links below helpful as you plan your visit to campus:

• Getting here

• Where to stay

• Where to eat