Policy

Commencement ceremonies are important institutional ceremonies that are the culmination of a student's career in the College of Engineering. Your attendance sends a strong message to the students that you support them and are proud of their accomplishments and, as such, require participation of every tenured and tenure-track faculty member in the College at the ceremonies, both December and May. All other members of the College faculty are welcome to attend. 

Absence Request Procedure

From an administrative point of view, faculty attendance at commencement is a form of professional service, and thus is reflected in the annual review process. However, if a tenured or tenure-track faculty member needs to be excused from attending a commencement ceremony, he or she must follow the submission process below: 

• Complete the Commencement Absence Request Form and email to your department chair 30 days prior to the ceremony
• The department chair will review and indicate his or her approval or disapproval and email the PDF form to the Dean (peter.crouch@uta.edu), Tracey Faulkinbury (tracey@uta.edu) and Debbie Stubbs (deborah.stubbs@uta.edu) for final determination no later than 21 calendar days ahead of the commencement date.
• For last minute emergencies, the faculty member must email the Dean (peter.crouch@uta.edu), the department chair and Tracey Faulkinbury (tracey@uta.edu).

Faculty may be excused from the ceremony for the following reasons:

• Medical emergency or condition (self or family member)
• Significant family event (wedding, commencement, etc.)
• Significant professional responsibility that requires one to be away from campus on the date of commencement (e.g., delivering a presentation at a conference or participating in an important professional program)
• Religious obligation
• Safety and travel concern (e.g., inclement weather)

Final determination of what constitutes an acceptable reason for not participating in a commencement ceremony is left to the discretion of the Dean.

Applicable Documents

• Commencement Absence Request
• COE Commencement Absence Request Procedure
• Faculty Participation at Commencement from Office of the Provost