Graduation Ceremony

Introduction

A significant event I had been recently to was the graduation ceremony. This ceremony took place at Johnson & Wales University, Providence campus. The ceremony was expected to be fabulous and impressive. That was the reason I was waiting for it so desperately. The date of conduct of the graduation ceremony was May, 23^rd, 2015.

I had a special concern to attend this ceremony as far as it was the one that finished the spring term, and my own ceremony was to be the next own, namely, on the winter term, 2016. Therefore, I was extremely interested in it, in the whole process in general as well as in all the possible details and aspects of the ceremony. The graduation ceremony I attended was located in Dounkin Dounts Center, Providence, Rhode Island. The place was appropriate for such a type of event, and it was easy to organize ceremony there due to relevant construction and excellent decorative elements within the building. For instance, there were two entrances in the building in order to make the process well organized and consistent. One of the entrances was predetermined to be used for those students who graduated from the university exclusively, and another one was used y all the visitors of the event. This guaranteed flawless organization and eliminated any potential drawbacks connected with the course of ceremony.

The graduation ceremony was a huge and magnificent event that required much efforts, time and preparation. There were many visitors of the event, both the participants of the graduation process with their parents and close people, their professors and tutors, and the guests of the occasion. I was proud that so many people were interested in the event that took place at our educational establishment.

The overall duration of the graduation ceremony was approximately two hours, namely, from 2:30 pm till 4:30 pm. This is an average duration of the solemn procedures of such a type. The overall process had the following stages:

• the speech conducted by the President of Johnson & Wales University;
• the course of presentations performed by four outstanding professors of the university who were chosen from the best tutors who taught the students who graduated;
• the most solemn part of the whole graduation ceremony was the part when the best and the most successful students were rewarded for their achievements and knowledge; this part was followed by brief introduction and of every outstanding student that was awarded.

The introduction included personal data, short description of the achievements and the name of a tutor who guided every student. Along with such, every student gave a speech that lasted several minutes. The speech referred to the major motivation which contributed to their consequent success in educational process. Moreover, the students presented their vision of the main drawbacks and corner stones on their way to achievements. Finally, the participants of the ceremony who were awarded expressed their gratitude to particular people who played crucial role in their academic development and growth.

Finally, every student went to the stage in order to receive the certificates and be honored according to the acquired level of knowledge and skills. The names were announced in a solemn way, and the students went to the stage in order to be granted with the certificates, to receive greetings and shake hands. It was a very special moment for them. The subsequent stage of the event comprised a significant photo-session. To be more precise, the majority of the students wanted to make photos to remember this amazing day by. The photos were taken outside of Dounkin Dounts Center and the campus.

Unique terminology that is relevant to the given topic includes the following words:

• graduation,
• baccalaureate gown,
• certificate,
• presentation,
• speech,
• reward,
• tutor,
• campus.

The marketing of the currently discussed event was an extensive and significant campaign. First, it covered the whole territory of the city and the neighborhood. It meant considerable PR and as a result – numerous guests as well as potential applicants for being students at the given educational establishment. Second, marketing was done in several ways in order to provide objectivity, holistic approach and diversity. For instance, the newspapers featured the graduation ceremony for five months on weekly basis, and the stands at the schools included such an advertisement. The overall marketing process is considered to be successful and efficient.

The sponsorship played also a serious role in the promotion of the graduation ceremony. The form of sponsorship included financial support and mass media inclusion in the promotional process. Moreover, mass media presented versatility of the editions. It means that different strata of the population could see it and be involved in the process.

Facility Assessment

The overall atmosphere was highly solemn and academic oriented. Actually, the students were dressed in baccalaureate gowns and hats. The organization was perfect and contributed to the overall solemnity and efficiency of the occasion. The students stood in line in order to get their turn to be granted the certificates. Furthermore, the baccalaureate gowns were different for different colleges in order to distinguish every particular educational establishment. That is why the students who studied business, arts, or hospitality, wore different garment.

The location of the currently discussed event was considered to be successful as far as the students connected this place with their students’ life, youth and the pace of the city. Moreover, the decorative elements were appropriate to the occasion. Nonetheless, the drawbacks were also detected during the observation of the graduation ceremony. First, the overall space in the hall provided for the performance of the ceremony of the university graduates was not sufficient for the mount of the graduates, professors, and guests of the occasion. Second, the presentations by the president lacked determination to make the speech motivating and inspiring for the next potential students. Third, the final part of the graduate ceremony seemed to be excessively brief and incomplete. It apparently lacked more profound and aspiring closing.

The general “feel” of the venue that is currently described was positive and promising. The most promising and inspiring moments of the whole graduation process were presented during the speeches the awarded students made before the audience. Therefore, these speeches may be confidently considered to be the challenges and corner stones of the whole event, and the major weakness of the venue. Along with such, the lack of determination to motivate potential students to enter the university was another weakness of the currently discussed event.

The strengths of the graduation ceremony were numerous. For example, two of the tutors told their success recipe. It meant that the graduation ceremony was targeted not only to greet the students, honor them and grant with the diplomas, but also to provide some practical recommendations and pieces of advice on success in their further career. Theory is nothing without practice. Therefore, the solemn part was connected with the recommendations of the professionals and practical stories of the people. One more example is that one of the students who were honored with then special reward presented of the list named “What a Graduate Must not Do.” The sequence of brief and witty recommendations and commentaries concerned a multidimensional and complicated life of the modern students. Hence, it was a relevant, comprehensive, and , as a rule, constructive guidance to the success in it.

Entertainment Event Assessment

My personal impressions of the performance during the graduation ceremony are very vivid, diverse and inspiring. First, I had my own ideas concerning the whole process of pre-arrangement, development of the course of preparation to the event as well as concerning the actual outfit, hair-do and even a preferred color. Nevertheless, the prevailing majority of students and undivided attention to them caused vagueness and inconsistency in my thoughts, ideas and plans. I saw that the variant of the garment for the graduation ceremony would not be proper, relevant and smart since even 2015 graduation ceremony did not follow such trends.

It is also important to discuss the technical side of the performance of the graduation ceremony. To be more precise, it did not start on time, and such an aspect points at such a quality as inconsistency and change of the plans. Moreover, this was an academic gathering, and the audience was expected to be not only intellectual and punctual. Nonetheless, the third negative aspect covers the area of actual presentation of the speeches by the participants of the event. The duration of the ceremony was also proper, by the walls may have been to Tunic.

There were no safety and security real help in the hall during the whole graduation ceremony. Actually, there were particular cases or misbehavior, but nothing serious happened , and  therefore, this aspect did not impact the whole story. 

The given aspect should be strongly and urgently interfered with since it undermines the authority and reliability of a person.

The approximate number of the people who attended the graduation ceremony was 130. The audience reacted quite differently to the appearance of the leaders. One of the professors thought over a decision to start a new university of the leaders. The duration is approximately one hour. The audience reacted positively, supporting the idea, whereas another idea that deals with another type of a new education establishment was perceived as an unnecessary innovation within the classic approaches.

Conclusion

The performance in terms of the graduation ceremony was supported both financially and in the mass media. Therefore, the event went in a successful and interesting way. Furthermore, the location and theme also contributed to the final decision.

The performance fulfilled my expectations, but I was slightly disappointed by slight and simple to learn. I would recommend it any of my friends most certainly. It is a certificate and the graduation saloon. The academic excellence which attracted my attention to the advertisements of others, they may just contact me – and the problem is sold.