The Group in Asian Studies will host a commencement ceremony for all 2007-2008 graduates on Friday, May 16, from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Alumni House.
This once-a-year event honors graduates of the Group in Asian Studies. This is a major right of passage and milestone, and one of the few ceremonies that people have in their lives. The ceremony is smaller and more intimate than most. All students are welcome to attend and celebrate their fellow students' accomplishments. I hope you can join us for this auspicious occasion.
Additional information regarding commencement will be sent to all graduating seniors and graduate students in March. If you plan on participating in commencement this spring, please complete the 2008 ceremony response sheet and send it to Hilary Finchum-Sung by May 1, 2008.
Group graduates gather at the reception
Students finishing their coursework this spring, summer, or fall, or who finished last summer or fall, are welcome to participate in the commencement ceremony and should complete and return the 2008 ceremony response sheet (link above) to be added to the commencement list. Undergraduates who are finishing all degree requirements and receiving a spring diploma should also put their names on the Spring Degree List by using TeleBears before the first day of the semester or via petition until March 9. The deadline to sign up to participate in commencement is May 1, but we hope most of you will do so sooner.
Award winners will be announced at commencement. Award categories include:
• Departmental Citations for each major
• Outstanding Honors Thesis Award
• Special Contribution Awards
• Recognition of other achievements
Click here for more information about obtaining caps, gowns, hoods, honors cords and announcements from The Cal Student Store.
Wen-hsin Yeh hoods Ph.D. recipient
Youngmin Choe as Choe's dissertation
advisor, Andrew Jones, looks on
The all-campus SPRING CONVOCATION CEREMONY will be held on Tuesday, May 13th at 4 pm on the Greek Theatre. This event is typically attended by students only, not family members (although family and friends are welcome). Tickets will be available in the spring at the Alumni House.
Summer and fall graduates are welcome to attend the FALL CONVOCATION CEREMONY, typically held the second Saturday in December in Zellerbach Auditorium. GAS does not offer a fall commencement ceremony for summer and fall graduates.
For more information about Convocation, see http://seniors.berkeley.edu/ commencement/ convocation.cfm.
We want to make our commencement ceremony available and enjoyable for everyone. Therefore, if you need an accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter or just extra time to get settled in, please let us know.
If you are a graduate participating in commencement and need an accommodation, please contact the Commencement Coordinator, Hilary Finchum-Sung, at 510-642-0333 or hfinchum_sung@berkeley.edu, no later than three weeks before the ceremony.
Also feel free to contact the campus's Disabled Access Specialist, Peter O'Connell, at 510-292-7671 or petero@berkeley.edu, for specific assistance and information, and check out the Disabled Students' Program website for information on where to rent a wheelchair. The Campus Visitors Services office can also help you with wheelchair rentals.
Do you have words of wisdom you'd like to share with your fellow grads? Pithy comments to help celebrate your achievements and wish everyone well in the future?
• Then you should enter our STUDENT SPEAKER COMPETITION!
The Student Speaker is a vital part of the commencement ceremony. In fact, some say it's the best part! The Student Speaker, one undergraduate and one graduate student, gives a 10 minute (max) presentation.
If you would like to compete for this honor, first check your cumulative and major GPA: they must be at least 3.3 to be eligible. Then, contact Hilary and let her know that you are interested. Finally, submit a written speech no later than Friday, April 20 at 12 noon. You can email the speech to Hilary. The Group Chair and the commencement coordinator will determine who will speak at commencement.
Group Chair Bonnie Wade and Commencement Speaker and IEAS Director
Wen-hsin Yeh congratulate honor cord recipient Peter Schurmann
Your official transcript will show your final grades four to six weeks after the last day of final exams. The date of your degree will appear on your transcript approximately three months after the term in which the degree was conferred. Information about the availability of transcripts showing the degree and how to order transcripts and diplomas may be found here.
Undergraduates
If you need proof that you have completed all of your requirements for the degree before your final transcript is available, you can obtain a Certificate of Completion from the Registrar's Office. This service is only available starting one month after the end of the term (approximately early July). Forms for this may be downloaded from http://registrar.berkeley.edu/elecforms/Cert.of.Cmpl.pdf and mailed to 120 Sproul Hall, UCB, Berkeley, CA 94720-5404, Attn: Records, or faxed to 510-643-9201. Certificates of Completion will be issued within approximately two weeks.
If you need proof that you have completed all of your degree requirements before early July, a request for an Early Dean's report may be made by contacting the Letters and Science Evaluation Unit at 510-642-7391. If you expect to graduate at the end of the current term and need to provide verification to a third party, you may request a Letter of Intent to Graduate from Letters and Science. You must bring with you a Completion of Major memo which you can get from the IASTP Advising Office in 101 Stephens. The Letter of Intent will be generated within 10 working days.
Graduates and families during the ceremony
Graduate Students
If you need evidence that you have completed your degree program prior to it being posted to your transcript, you will need to complete a request for certificate of completion form and return it to Graduate Division. The form can be found at the following site: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/policies/pdf/certificate_completion.pdf.
If you need to verify attendance and/or graduation for insurance, scholarships, Law School Dean's Appraisals or Certifications, etc., you can download a request form at http://registrar.berkeley.edu/elecforms/VReq.Form-main.pdf and submit it to the Verifications Office in 120 Sproul Hall, UCB, Berkeley, CA 94720-5404, or fax it to 510-643-4222.
Members of the public can verify a student's dates of attendance and/or degree by providing the student's Social Security Number and last name at http://infobears.berkeley.edu:3400/degver/.
To request a diplomas go to the following site: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Records/diplomas.html and download the diploma request form.
Chair Bonnie Wade chats with M.A. recipient Evelyn Miles and
her family at
the reception
Graduate Assistant Hilary Finchum-Sung poses with M.A. recipients
Michael
Miller, Max Woodworth, and John Givens