SMU / DES / Registrar / May Commencement / Other Commencement Info
Other Commencement Information



 
SMU
COMMENCEMENT WEEKEND

May 16-17, 2008
 
  1. Transportation
  2. Hotel Accommodations
  3. Announcement & Invitations
  4. Academic Regalia
  5. Class Ring
  6. Maps & Parking
  7. Photographs
  8. Diploma & Additional Information


 
1. Transportation <Special Rates>

Air Travel

  • American Airlines is offering a discounted fare for travel to and from Dallas-Fort Worth between May 13 and May 20 for persons attending SMU May Commencement. Call American Airlines’ Meeting Services Desk at 1-800-433-1790 and ask for authorization number A3558AU. Tell the agent that your travel arrangements are for May Commencement at Southern Methodist University.

Automobile Travel

  • Avis Rent-A-Car has also offered a discount. Please call Avis at 1-800-331-1600, and give the authorization number B136001.



 
2. Hotel Accommodations <Special Rates>

SMU has made accommodation arrangements with the following hotels:

Embassy Suites Love Field:  located just minutes from the SMU campus, and Dallas Love Field.  We offer complimentary airport shuttle service to Love Field.  We are only a few minutes away from NorthPark Mall and Preston Center.  We have 248 suites including 34 executive suites with garden baths, an indoor swimming pool and state of the art fitness center.  We offer a complimentary full cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and the manager's cocktail reception each evening for all guests.  The Embassy Suites Dallas Love Field is proud to offer a special rate of $115 for standard suites excluding applicable taxes.  To make a reservation or for more information please contact the hotel at 214-357-4500 or visit our website at www.dallaslovefield.embassysuites.com

Holiday Inn Select Dallas Love Field: Located across from the entrance from Love Field Airport and 3 miles from the SMU Campus. We offer complimentary transportation within a 5 mile radius including SMU, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. We have 244 over sized guestrooms, fitness facility, outdoor pool, business center and gift shop. Come join us in The Sporting News Grill which is a sports restaurant and bar that features four 52” and eight 42” flat screens with an extensive beer selection and menu that has a variety of scrumptious selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In our lobby you will find the convenience of Southwest Airlines arrival/departure monitors and boarding pass printer. The Holiday Inn Select Dallas Love Field is proud to offer a $99.00 SMU rate (subject to availability) for standard rooms. This rate includes a made to order breakfast in The Sporting News Grill. To make reservations please contact the hotel directly at 214-357-8500 and ask for the SMU rate. For additional information please visit us at www.hiselect.com/lovefield-hisl.

Hotel Palomar:  located two blocks from SMU and six miles from Dallas Love Field. Stylish sophistication and artistic expression converge at Hotel Palomar Dallas, a Kimpton Hotel and the city's first and only true urban resort. The property showcases 198 exclusively designed guestrooms and suites, a chef-driven regional American food and cocktails concept, Central 214, the original Polynesian hot spot, Trader Vic's and Dallas' first highly acclaimed transformation mind and body destination spa, Exhale. We offer complimentary wireless and wired high speed Internet access, flat screen TV's, Frette luxury linens, minibars and bathrobes. To make reservations, please contact the hotel at 214-520-7969 and ask for the SMU Graduation code to receive 10% off the best available rate  . For additional information, please visit our website at www.hotelpalomar-dallas.com

Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion: with convenient access to one of DART's Light Rail lines at Union Station, holds the longest-running AAA four-diamond convention hotel distinction in downtown Dallas.  This 18-story atrium hotel features 1,122 luxurious guest rooms with wireless Internet access, iHome stereos and Hyatt Grand Beds™.  Guests can dine in two restaurants, one lobby bar and coffee bar in addition to complimentary access to the hotel fitness center and pool.  While at Hyatt, guests can learn about Dallas history via Reflections of Dallas, a one-of-a-kind collection of photography, artwork and memorabilia located on three levels of the hotel.  SMU graduates and their families may enjoy a $99 rate, based on availability. May not be combined with any other offer or discount.  Call 800 233 1234 or visit www.hyattregencydallas.com to make reservations.

Hyatt Place Dallas Park Central:  Hyatt Place Dallas/Park Central is a newly renovated hotel with 126 sleeping rooms and a 1,000+ sq.ft. meeting room that can be divided into two separate rooms. There is a Gallery Kitchen that has 24 hr. food service as well as in-house Starbucks and Beer and Wine. We also have complimentary Wi Fi throughout the hotel with a business center in the lobby that's perfect for printing reports or boarding passes. We are perfectly situated in the heart of North Dallas. There is easy access to both I-635 East and West and I-75 North and South, which are 2 major thoroughfares in the Dallas metroplex. We offer a complimentary shuttle for ~5 mile radius from hotel. That includes the SMU Dallas campus!!  The Hyatt Place at Dallas Park Central is proud to offer a special rate of $85 (+15% tax) for standard suites excluding applicable taxes.  To make a reservation or for more information please contact the hotel at 972-458-1224 or visit our website at www.amerisuites.com.

Prava Suites: Conveniently located steps from the Galleria Dallas. The North Dallas Tollway gives us a perfect location for traveling throughout the Dallas metroplex. Prava Suites Hotel is home to the Fountain Court Bistro. For after-hours pleasures, guests will enjoy the Gallery Bar and Billiards Room for drinks, games, and relaxation, a high-tech fitness center, indoor pool, and technologically advanced Business Center. A lush, tropical garden backdrop behind our indoor lap pool and whirlpool, along with overhead sunlight filtered in through sky lights paints a perfect Romanesque spa setting. For reservation information call (972)503-8700, ask for the SMU Graduation special rate. $89.00(+tax) for single or double occupancy, or $99.00(+tax) for triple or quad occupancy. For additional information please visit our website at www.pravasuites.com.

West End Hotel: located minutes away from the SMU campus on the Dart Rail Line in the West End historic district of downtown Dallas. We offer a complimentary deluxe extended continental breakfast daily, free local phone calls and 24-hour coffee service. Our guests can enjoy our complimentary exercise facility. We are excited to offer the SMU Graduation rate of $89.00 per night plus tax. This special rate includes a complete package of dining discount coupons for use with leading West End merchants. The West End Hotel is part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group family of Hotels and offers Priority Points or American Airlines Miles. To make reservations please contact the hotel at 214-742-5678 and ask for the SMU Graduation Rate. For additional information please visit our website at www.westendhoteldallas.com.

 



 
3. Announcements and Invitations

Personalized invitations and announcements may be ordered at the SMU Bookstore or directly from www.herffjones.com/college/graduation.

These announcements and invitations will contain the name and degree of the candidate. A limited number of traditional (non-personalized) invitations will be on sale at the SMU Bookstore. For additional information, please call the SMU Bookstore at 214-768-2435.
 



 
4. Academic Regalia
  • Academic regalia will be worn by all students during the ceremony. Regalia is available for rental and pickup from the SMU Bookstore beginning May 3rd. You may also preorder regalia through the Bookstore at 214-768-2435.
     
  • All masters candidates will wear the hood for the degree they are about to receive. Ph.D. and D.E. candidates will be given their hoods during the ceremony.
     
  • Ph.D. and D.E. candidates’ hoods are provided as a gift to you from SMU. You must be present during the ceremony to receive the hood, and you are still responsible for renting the gown.
     
  • No honor ribbons, medals, flowers, or other decorations or adornments are worn during the ceremony.


  • For questions regarding regalia please contact Marilyn Hartman at the SMU Bookstore at 214-768-2435.

      Bachelor’s Cap/Gown/Tassel  $ 31.40
      Master’s Cap/Gown/Tassel/Hood  $ 60.20
      Doctoral Cap/Gown/Tassel (Ph.D and D.E.) $ 45.90
      Doctoral Cap/Gown/Tassel/Hood $ 68.50
      Law Cap/Gown/Tassel/Hood $ 68.50

    Caps and tassels are included for all degrees at no additional charge.

    Rented regalia must be returned to the SMU Bookstore by 11:00 p.m. on graduation day. Due to the late ceremony, the SMU Bookstore will offer Sunday and Monday as a grace period. Please note that a $10 late return fee will be applied on Tuesday morning. (Graduates get to keep their caps and tassels.)
 


 
5. Class Ring

Several years ago, students, faculty and alumni felt the need to preserve the timeless tradition of the SMU Ring originally created in 1924.  The SMU Ring is the tangible and recognizable symbol of pride in SMU and its history.  It represents each student’s accomplishments on the Hilltop.  The Ring is a link with classmates, friends, and alumni spread all over the world.  Times will change, people will change, but the spirit will live on and the tradition will continue.

Ring prices vary and can be found online at http://smu.edu/smuring.  The phone number for ordering is 1-800-BALFOUR.
 


 
6. Maps & Parking
  • Those attending commencement activities at Southern Methodist University on Friday and Saturday, May 16 and 17, may park in any of the University’s parking facilities, including the parking garage at Airline Road and SMU Boulevard and the Moody Coliseum parking lot on Airline north of Mockingbird Lane. Access to some street-level lots may not be available until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

  • Guests with disabilities may park on Binkley between Airline Road and Dublin. Parking passes for disabled guests will be available at the Registrar's Office Service Counter, Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building. Students may pick up a parking pass at the same time as their procession pass. Show the disabled parking pass to the officer on duty. Persons with disabilities or unable to climb stairs should use the northeast entrance to Moody Coliseum at the ramp. Ushers will be available to escort you to the proper area.
    Click here to view special parking areas.

  • No parking will be permitted on Bishop Boulevard.

  • Maps showing the location of parking lots and campus buildings, and directions to campus are available at http://www.smu.edu/maps.

  • Laws and regulations that prohibit parking in fire lanes and limit who may use areas reserved for the disabled are strictly enforced. SMU Police phone boxes located on campus provide immediate access to police dispatch, or guests may call 214-768-3388 for 24-hour access to the SMU Police Department.

  • Please allow extra time to find parking and reach Moody Coliseum as construction activities may affect routes from parking areas to various locations on campus. The University has begun several construction projects to improve service to current students by providing first-rate facilities to remain competitive for the students, faculty, and staff in the coming years. Many facilities also will make SMU’s educational, cultural, and recreational activities more accessible to the community.



 
7. Photographs

Arrangements have been made with a professional photographer to take candidates’ photographs as they receive their diplomas. Every graduate is photographed and mailed a proof after the ceremony. These photographs will be available to each family at a nominal cost. If you have questions concerning the photographs, please call Flash Photography at 214-443-9393. Their office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
 



 
8. Diploma & Additional Information

Diplomas will be mailed on Friday, May 23, 2008.

For questions regarding your degree program and graduation status, contact the office of your Academic Dean. If you have not informed your Academic Dean that you will participate in the commencement ceremonies, you must do so.

Candidates who owe money to the University may participate in the commencement ceremonies, but diplomas will be withheld until accounts are cleared. For questions regarding your account, contact the University Cashier by calling (214) 768-2058.
 

 

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