To say the process of transforming a basketball court into a beautiful place in which to mark one's next stage of life is a labor of love is not an exaggeration. There are some members of the Commencement crew who have walked across the stage as young graduates at the now demolished Roberts Stadium, and some who have watched their own children cross the stage on campus. Everyone feels the same rush of excitement—the lump in their throat as the opening bars of "Pomp and Circumstance" fill the arena. It's about launching students into the big world with a final flourish—a lasting memory of the place that's been their home for four years. It's about showing parents and loved ones the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a beautiful new one.
A few days before the ceremonies, Facilities staff begin the process of turning a basketball arena into a beautiful venue. Fueled by coffee and candy, individually selected by Megan Doyle, Interim Associate Director of Special Events and Scheduling Services, crews get to work reconstructing the stage, hanging drapes and laying carpet. "I know what kind of candy each staff member of Facilities likes. I buy the little theatre-sized boxes they can keep in their pockets to eat while they work," says Doyle.
Jerry Bulger has been around USI for 35 years. He's seen Commencement come full circle from the PAC to Roberts Stadium, back to the PAC and finally to the Screaming Eagles Arena. Most Thursday mornings before the ceremony, you will find Bulger on his back under the stage as the Facilities staff build it over him. Like a puzzle, all the pieces go a certain way. And under all the parts, Bulger is bolting them together to form one cohesive piece. "Jerry's the mastermind behind all this," says Scott Lenfers, Maintenance Supervisor. "He knows how all the parts and pieces go together. I just do what he says and try not to make him mad!"
"What surprises me is the camaraderie of all the workers (working at the ceremony). I think about the Facilities and Custodial staff for whom Commencement is not just a day-long event, but who put in a week or more to make everything perfect. And they do it all with a smile," says Tina McCalment, Senior Administrative Associate in Marketing and Communications. "The best part is working with great people who really care about the University and our graduates and want them to have a day that is just about them and that they'll remember forever. Seeing their excitement is rewarding."
Megan Doyle, Interim Associate Director of Special Events and Scheduling Services, works with the teams preparing the Arena to be turned into a venue of celebration. There are all sorts of special touches to make the venue a place of beauty, from steaming all the gonfalons and drapes to cleaning the windows and floors. "Everyone from the vice presidents to the Facilities staff bring the energy despite it being a marathon of a day. We're all committed to making it unforgettable for our graduates and their parents," says Doyle. "The energy is amazing from the first to the last ceremony."
Angel Nelson worked at Commencement for nine years. That would be 64 different ceremonies. She walked at both Roberts Stadium and the PAC. When she received her undergraduate degree, she remembered wondering what the hang up was all about at the line checks (making sure everyone is in alphabetical order by degree to receive their diploma covers properly). "I thought to myself, 'It's not that hard to find your place in line. Boy, was I wrong!'"
Usually, the last thing students want to do is line up. They are excited and want to mingle, then there is a last minute scramble to get into place. For her MBA, Nelson worked until she walked. "I did the line check for my own line, and then took my place. I knew I could never enjoy the ceremony if I didn’t make sure everything was in order."
Greg Orth, Lead Custodial employee, has worked many Commencements on campus. "This year we'll be short-handed. We'll all be doing a little bit more, but we'll manage. It's all about the students. When you look out over the courts and see how beautiful it is, you can be proud you were a part of that."
Tracy Sinn, Assistant Registrar, is always amazed by the footwear of the students. Often they take fashion over form, not knowing they'll be navigating their way down steps and through back tunnels to get where they need to go. "You see everything from super high heels to big furry UGG boots."
The Registrar's Office take their behind-the-scenes footwear seriously, changing into house slippers between ceremonies. Other departments bring a bag of shoes for the day, slipping into lower and lower heels as the day wears on.
To Lee Ann Shafer, Academic Programs Manager of the Bachelors of Professional Studies, Commencement is more than an event, it is a journey. "Anyone who visits my office in the Orr Center will see my 'trophy case'—a wall covered with group photos of happy graduates in mortar board and gowns. Each smiling face on the wall represents a different journey through higher education, from the military veteran who entered college after service to the woman who delayed college until after her kids started college to the adult who struggled to adjust to college at the age of 18 but found success in a career before returning to USI with renewed confidence and specific goals. To me, Commencement is a chance to celebrate small and large victories of persistence, resilience and grit."
One of her favorite comments from a new graduate came from a man who had interrupted his college education to join the workforce. He returned to USI 40 years later after a successful career in broadcasting, and stated that earning his degree “was like an unfinished sentence.”
Donna Koewler, Director of Special Events, recalls the the last Commencement ceremony at Roberts Stadium being especially large and over three hours long. "People were used to coming to Roberts Stadium for basketball games. They expected concessions and were shocked when there were none. However, there was a little kiosk of candy machines and people spent a lot of money loading up on candy that day!"
Rick Small, Student Event Services Supervisor, was a student worker in Special Events when Commencement made the transition back to campus. "It's weird, but I miss the old creak of the bleachers as people ascended and descended in the PAC. I was always amazed at how it was transformed to make you forget you were in a gym." One thing that remains the same is the student who still shows up to the ceremony without a cap or gown. "Inevitably, there is that student who still has to run over to the Campus Store to purchase one minutes before the ceremony starts."
Melissa Miller, Assistant Registrar, earned her AS, BS and MBA from USI but didn’t walk for any of them. "I’m more comfortable behind the scenes than walking across the stage. However, when there is someone from the University I recognize walking across that stage (co-worker, student worker, etc.), it’s a proud moment to watch them and their accomplishment."
"It's kind of interesting to see patterns which are followed each year based on the college of the ceremony or the time of the ceremony. The later the ceremony, the more rowdy the students can be," says Miller. "I think it also surprised me to see how we were able to run a smooth Commencement with all the COVID restrictions." Many of the employees of the Registrar's Office are on duty all day long, checking in new graduates. Between ceremonies, Melissa has been known to get out the book of 1,000 Would You Rather questions to keep her co-workers in a good mood between ceremonies.
Last year, Photography shot 11,510 photos at Commencement. "That's actually a little low compared to some years," jokes Elizabeth Randolph, Manager of Photography and Multimedia. "The way we see it is that we've photographed these students for a long time. It started at their Welcome Week four years ago. We might have captured them hanging out in The Quad, in class, in their dorm rooms or at an event. After all this time, we feel like honorary aunts. We look at Commencement as our gift to them for putting up with us for four years. We post all those photos on Facebook and enjoy watching their comments. Years later, the alumni will repost those photos they tagged themselves in or shared as their Time Hop recycles them through their Facebook feed. They're always amazed how quickly time passes, and they always have good memories as Screagles."
Audio Visual Analyst in Information Technology Michael Mikulski walked across the stage at Roberts Stadium when he received his undergraduate degree. As a member of the IT staff at Commencement, Mikulski was there to help usher in the new digital age as they went from selling VHS of the ceremony to Commemorative DVDs to working on the live stream of the event. 10,500 people watched the live stream of the Spring 2021 Commencement on USI's YouTube channel, some as far away as Saudi Arabia. "The consistent energy level from the first ceremony to the last is impressive. The day itself is a marathon, but each ceremony is a short sprint. Caffeine and snacks definitely help me keep going through the very long day."
"Everyone jumps in and helps fold up those white chairs," says Koewler. It takes about 45 minutes to dismantle the Arena. "We have had students come back to the Arena to take a few more photos with parents and it's all gone!" She recalled, even in the hustle and bustle of taking down the staging and chairs at Roberts Stadium, a graduate came back looking for the program he had left in his chair. In it was a gift card a family member handed to him before the ceremony started. He had put it in his program and forgotten about it until after the ceremony ended. Staff dug through the trash until they found his program, gift card still inside.
All the behind the scenes people agree Commencement is a family affair and a labor of love. It takes a big family to pull it all off. "Graduates from last year were so appreciative. When it comes right down to it, they just want to walk across the stage, greet the president and receive their diploma cover. It makes everything real," says Koewler. "After having to cancel two ceremonies due to COVID, they were so thankful for the opportunity to have their moment. We underestimate the significance of the moment for them. We can all feel a sense of pride in their day."