Spring 2021 Commencement
Saturday, May 8, 2021 ▪ 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Athletic Center
Which ceremony should I attend?
For students who prefer to participate in a virtual ceremony, the University will host a virtual commencement on Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 6 p.m. To watch the ceremony, visit the virtual commencement website.
Graduates are reminded to regularly check their Penn State email accounts for important commencement information from the campus and the University. Graduates will be receiving information from our Office of Academic Affairs, as well as [email protected], in the coming weeks.
Each ceremony will follow state and federal guidelines for gatherings. All students, guests and employees are required to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing from others to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. Penn State staff will be on site to answer questions and provide guidance; please follow their instructions about health and safety protocols. All guests who will be attending a commencement ceremony are expected to take health and safety precautions when traveling and during commencement weekend. In addition, please do not attend an in-person ceremony if within the last 14 days you think you have been exposed, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, are awaiting test results or have tested positive for COVID-19.
Doors will open for graduates and guests 30 minutes prior to the start of each commencement. Entry will not be permitted without tickets.
The ceremonies will also be streamed live:
Please contact Academic Affairs if you have any questions at 724-334-6030 or [email protected].
Information for Candidates for Graduation
Marching Order Ticketing Information
Students who wish to attend the in-person ceremony will use the Marching Order portal to confirm your attendance and register your guests. You will receive an email at your PSU email account when ceremony registration and ticketing opens. Please check your email regularly and frequently.
All participants, both graduates and guests, are required to have a ticket. No one will be admitted to the in-person ceremony without a ticket. This process is necessary for the health and safety of our guests, and manages our venue capacity aligned with Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance.
Each graduate will be permitted up to two guests. All attendees must wear a mask at all times. Physical distancing guidelines will be in place. Detailed information will be sent to the graduates as it becomes available.
Commencement Rehearsal
Wednesday, April 21, 12:20pm - 1:00pm. Rehearsal will be virtual; Zoom link will be emailed to graduates.
Academic Attire
In observance of tradition, all participants in the Commencement Ceremony will wear full academic regalia, consisting of a traditional gown and mortarboard (cap) with tassel. Caps and gowns must be ordered from the Penn State New Kensington Bookstore. Contact the Bookstore at 724-334-6170 or [email protected].
Properly Wearing Academic Regalia
Candidates for the baccalaureate and associate degrees should wear the tassel of the cap on the right front edge until you are signaled at the ceremony to shift it to the left when the degrees are conferred. Business or business casual attire is recommended.
Rings and Announcement Cards
Print ready Penn State graduation announcements, invitations and thank-you cards are available online at: www.overlypub.com/. Class rings and jewelry can be ordered through Jostens website at: http://college.jostens.com/.
Diplomas
Each semester, before students can schedule, they are asked to verify their contact information as a part of their To Do list in the student center portion of LionPath. It is very important to verify that all information is correct since the student will be receiving important graduation information as well as official University correspondence, including their diploma, will go to the address we have on file. Diplomas are mailed to the student's address approximately 4-6 weeks after the ceremony.
Distinctions
Required GPA for Graduation with Distinction
Honors Ornamentation
Graduating students may wear only provided ornamentation to commencement. Ornamentation representing honorary societies or nationalities is not approved attire for Penn State academic ceremonies. Students graduating with distinction, high distinction, highest distinction and approved veterans will be provided University approved cords.
Commencement Speaker
10:00 a.m. ceremony:
Dr. K.R. Bridges is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Penn State University. Dr. Bridges began his long career at Penn State New Kensington as an Instructor of Psychology and worked his way up through the ranks to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Full Professor before his retirement in December 2020.
Dr. Bridges received his B.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Temple University and his Ph.D. in Child Development from the University of Pittsburgh.
1:00 p.m. ceremony:
Marissa Russo is a Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Consultant at Seiso LLC. In her role, she assists her clients in becoming compliant with various security standards and frameworks and performs IT risk assessments for clients in the Pittsburgh area. In her previous role, she worked as a Senior IT Security Consultant at PwC, where she worked with various Fortune 500 companies and allowed her to travel around the USA and internationally. She has a passion for hands-on work and problem solving of consulting, and enjoys mentoring other women who would like to become consultants or join the IT field. Marissa is also the Director of Communication at Womxn in Tech Pittsburgh (WITPGH). WITPGH is a community of women, womxn, non-binary folks, and allies championing for the diverse and intersectional experience in tech and aim for tech equity and advocacy through digital literacy and autonomy.
Marissa is a graduate of Penn State New Kensington class of 2016. She majored in Information Science and Technology with a minor in Security Risk Analysis. At her time at PSNK, she acted as the Student Government Association president (2015-2016), Vice President (2013-2014), and worked the coffee shop, where she enjoyed chatting and making coffee for students and faculty alike. She also spent a semester abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland. In her free time, Marissa fosters dogs through local animal rescues.
Guest Information
Each graduate will be permitted to invite two guests to the ceremony. Guests must have a ticket to enter. No one will be admitted to the in-person ceremony without a ticket. More information will be sent to the graduates as it becomes available. All attendees must wear a mask at all times. Physical distancing guidelines will be in place.
For guests unable to attend the in-person ceremony, the event will be streamed live online. Please see links above.
Photos
As part of the ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to take a professional portrait photo while in their cap and gown after their name is announced. Portraits will be complimentary and can be downloaded the week after the ceremony from a Facebook photo album.
COVID-19 Testing
Graduating students who would like to be tested for COVID-19 before attending their commencement ceremony will be able to do so through the University’s on-demand testing process at each campus. Please contact Health Services at the campus for more information at 724-334-6066 or 724-681-3978.
Penn State New Kensington Alumni Society
A student's connection with Penn State does not end at graduation. Join over 150,000 Penn State supporters by becoming a member of the largest alumni association in the country, and keep that Blue and White spirit alive!
The local alumni organization based on our campus is the Penn State New Kensington Alumni Society. The society represents more than 7,000 Penn Staters living the Alle-Kiski valley.
For more information on the Penn State Alumni Association, visit: http://www.alumni.psu.edu/.
Virtual Commencement
All candidates will receive an email from Marching Order via [email protected].
You will be asked to log-in to the Marching Order portal to check your name, degree and major, and provide a pronunciation of your name.This information will be used for the digital slide which is part of the virtual ceremony. All students are recognized in this way during the virtual ceremony; even students who attend an in-person ceremony.
Class of 2020
In partnership with the Penn State Alumni Association, and in consultation with alumni representative, the University is planning for a special weekend in spring 2022 to celebrate you and your class. More information and a specific date will be forthcoming as we continue to develop plans to welcome you and your families back to New Kensington for a variety of activities and events.
Please contact Academic Affairs if you have any questions at 724-334-6030 or [email protected].