Undergraduate Ceremonies: Faculty and Administrator Information

Ceremony 1: 

• 9 am: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 9:45 am: Platform party lines up

• 10 am: Ceremony begins

• 11:30 am: Ceremony ends; set up for next ceremony

Ceremony 2: 

• 12:15 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 1 pm: Platform party lines up

• 1:15 pm: Ceremony begins
  

• 2:45 pm: Ceremony ends; set up for next ceremony

Ceremony 3: 

• 3:30 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 4:20 pm: Platform party lines up

• 4:30 pm: Ceremony begins

• 6 pm: Ceremony ends

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Ceremony 4: 

• 9 am: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 9:45 am: Platform party lines up

• 10 am: Ceremony begins

• 11:30 am: Ceremony ends; set up for next ceremony

Ceremony 5: 

• 12:15 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 1 pm: Platform party lines up

• 1:15 pm: Ceremony begins

• 2:45 pm: Ceremony ends; set up for next ceremony

Ceremony 6: 

• 3:30 pm: Graduates arrive; procession participants arrive; doors open for guests

• 4:20 pm: Platform party lines up

• 4:30 pm: Ceremony begins

• 6 pm: Ceremony ends

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You may attend one or more ceremonies as a member of the platform party or audience; each ceremony will have a reserved section for FIT faculty within the audience. 

The reservation form will be made available shortly.

Each event will be approximately 90 minutes in length and will be held outdoors in the park, rain or shine.

Those who RSVP by the April 30 deadline will be added to the backstage entrance list. Venue personnel, not FIT staff, are responsible for check-in.

To rent your regalia, use the Herff Jones' faculty regalia rental website, facultydirect.herffjones.com:

• Select the Fashion Institute of Technology, then your preferred method to receive your regalia. It may be picked up at the FIT Campus Store in May for no extra charge, or your may have it delivered to your home for an extra shipping fee ($18.10 through March 31; $26.65 after March 31). Home orders will receive a return shipping label for no additional charge.
• Then choose your terminal degree and click "shop."
• On the following screen, be sure to choose the "Cap & Gown" tab in the middle of the page. This will take you to the full rental form. 

To purchase your regalia, visit Herff Jones' site for purchase orders: academicregalia.herffjones.com.

• Enter state and city of your alma mater and select it from the drop-down menu.
• Your school will now appear near the top of the site. Just below that, choose "Standard Regalia" from the tab options.
• From there, select the gown that corresponds with your terminal degree.
• Please take note of Herff Jones' production and shipping deadlines notes on their website. 

If orders are not received by April 27, the FIT Campus Store may not have sufficient generic regalia on hand to meet the demand. Remember, academic regalia (cap and gown) is required attire for all who plan to participate in the procession and sit on stage.

Since access to mass transit is readily available, there will be no transportation provided by FIT.

On commencement day, enter the park at Fifth Avenue and East 69th Street—the main entrance for the event. Proceed straight to East Drive, go across East Drive, and turn right to go up the path to the Mother Goose statue with benches encircling it. The path will lead you to Rumsey Playfield. It is approximately a four-minute walk from Fifth Avenue.

Your name must appear on the faculty entrance list for venue staff to check you in and provide you with a wristband to access the backstage area.  

Getting to Rumsey Playfield

Each faculty member that requires assistance should email Jacqueline Espaillat-Guerrero by May 5 to be added to the accommodations list and to expedite the entrance process.

There will be two golf carts to transport persons who require assistance from the ADA/VIP entrance at Fifth Avenue and East 72nd Street directly to the backstage entrance area. The stage has a ramp that can readily accommodate a wheelchair or walker.

For 2026, the faculty and administrators robing area will be located in the large tent backstage.

The robing tent will be outfitted with tables, chairs, and mirrors. The area will be staffed by FIT personnel during the event, so personal belongings may be left there. Restrooms are nearby.

Following the recessional, the platform party will return to the robing area.

Please note that faculty and administrators are responsible for returning rented regalia to the FIT Campus Store.

Adjacent to the robing tent, platform party participants and event workers will be able to enjoy an indoor/outdoor lounge area with refreshments and seating.

Faculty who choose to sit in the general audience, may partake of the refreshments available in the graduate and guest celebration areas by the main gates.  

Approximately 15 minutes before each ceremony, college staff will be directing the platform party to lineup to proceed to the stage. Each ceremony will run approximately 90 minutes in length from the start of the procession.

The proceedings of the event are guided by a script. Scripts will be delivered ahead of time to all those with speaking or support roles.

Programs will be available at seats on the stage.