Friday is the deadline for Wichita State graduates to register for the optional virtual commencement ceremony that will take place in two weeks. Only registered students will be recognized during the event.

The university will also hold an in-person commencement ceremony for graduates in October. Students who want to can participate in both.

“If you’re interested in being a part of the virtual commencement, we need for you to go to www.wichita.edu/commencement, and you need to opt into the virtual commencement because not everybody’s going to be included in that,” Provost Rick Muma said at a virtual town hall meeting Thursday.

In the wake of COVID-19, the university is holding a 2020 Virtual Celebration at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 for spring and summer 2020 graduates.

The celebration will include pre-recorded remarks from the university president, provost, deans, and a representative from the alumni association. Students can access a digital program on the event site with their names and graduation information, which accompany slides of each graduate. The slides can be shared on the web or downloaded.

“You can actually upload pictures of yourself or your family celebrating, and you’ll have a banner created that has your name on it, and your degree and any honors that you might have,” Muma said. “That’s going to be read out just like at the real commencement.”

Other personal touches include the ability to submit a short message that’s shared with your photo in the slide. And students can also provide pronunciations so their names get read right.

How to Register

1. Go to www.wichita.edu/about/commencement/ and click on “Register for WSU’s Virtual Celebration.”
2. Click the link for the Wichita Marching Order website.
3. Press the “Register” button under “New Users.”
4. “Register With Email” in the space provided. Enter your Shocker email address which should end in @shockers.wichita.edu.
5. In your WSU email inbox, look for a message titled “MarchingOrder Password Request,” Open it and click the “Set Password Here” link.
6. Create a password.
7. Go back to the WSU Commencement site, click “Register for WSU’s Virtual Celebration.”
8. Now fill out the form.
9. To participate in the ceremony, choose Opt-in. If you select “no,” your name and customized slide will not be included in the virtual celebration.
10.  If you opt-in, you can upload a photo and submit a personal message to be shown on your personalized graduation slide, which will be online during the virtual celebration. The slide can be shared on social media and downloaded.
11.  Enter how you pronounce your name, making sure to capitalize the emphasized syllable, and record your name as a reference so the reader can pronounce it correctly.
12.  Click “Submit”

You can only edit your form at wichita.marchingorder.com through Friday.

Save The Dates

• Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. in Koch Arena

An in-person commencement ceremony is scheduled for October. There will only be one ceremony that day instead of three. Students can RSVP for that ceremony from May 4 until September 18 at 5 p.m.

• Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. in Koch Arena

This will be an in-person, traditional commencement ceremony for fall 2020 graduates and spring and summer grads who couldn’t participate in May’s virtual celebration or October’s commencement.