Graduation

Diplomas/Mailing Addresses, Transcripts, Commencement Photos and Middletown Cash Refunds – 6/4

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Greetings!

I hope you’re enjoying the summer and looking forward to the next leg of your journey. There are still some lingering questions and loose ends to tie up; hopefully, the information below is helpful.

Diplomas, Diploma Addresses and Official Transcripts

Any changes to diploma mailing addresses are due to Tracey Stanley in the Registrar’s Office by 4:30pm, EST today, June 4th. Include your name, WesID and your new address in any correspondence with Ms. Stanley about updating your diploma mailing address. Future inquiries about your mailing address and changes should be directed to Ms. Stanley. The Registrar’s Office staff is working with a vendor to mail diplomas this month; you should receive them by July 5th if not earlier.

Official transcripts with your degree conferral date are available now. You may request an official transcript through the Registrar’s Office and the National Student Clearinghouse. You may also request Enrollment and/or Degree Verification through the Registrar’s Office. Additionally, employers may call the National Student Clearinghouse at (703) 742- 4200 to verify degree completion.

Employers can verify degrees by calling this number.

Commencement Photos and Follow Up

Wesleyan partnered with GradTrak® Graduation Images and professional photographers  to take a candid photograph of each graduate present at the ceremony. You will receive a free passport-sized digital proof of these photos on an order card within 5 to 7 days following the ceremony. Questions may be emailed to service@gradtrak.com.

You may order online at www.gradimages.com or call (800) 261-2576. To pre-register your permanent email address and receive a $5.00 coupon towards a purchase of $25.00, please visit www.gradimages.com and click on Pre-Event Registration. You may add contact information for up to six additional relatives and/or friends. GradTrak® will never sell or share the address/email information provided to them.

Middletown Cash Refunds

Contact Cathy-Lee Rizza at the WesCard Office (wescard@wesleyan.edu) to make the initial request for a refund of your Middletown Cash (note: points are not eligible for refunds). She will help you close your Middletown Cash account, and your balance minus a $25.00 administrative fee will be transferred to your student account. You will then need to fill out a refund request form on the front page of the student accounts website.

I will be working most of the summer, so feel free to reach out with any other questions or concerns. I’m also preparing to welcome the Class of 2025 this fall, so you will most likely see some changes to my outgoing messages.

Have a wonderful summer!
Dean Leathers

Tanesha A. Leathers, PhD (she/her/hers)
Dean for the Class of 2025
Interim Dean for the Class of 2022, Li-Ro
Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459

Commencement Photos and Follow Up

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Wesleyan partnered with GradTrak® Graduation Images and professional photographers  to take a candid photograph of each graduate present at the ceremony. You will receive a free passport-sized digital proof of these photos on an order card within 5 to 7 days following the ceremony. Questions may be emailed to service@gradtrak.com.

You may order online at www.gradimages.com or call (800) 261-2576. To pre-register your permanent email address and receive a $5.00 coupon towards a purchase of $25.00, please visit www.gradimages.com and click on Pre-Event Registration. You may add contact information for up to six additional relatives and/or friends. GradTrak® will never sell or share the address/email information provided to them.

Oak Hall Regalia Pre-Orders Available for Pickup at Tomorrow – 5/21 at 10am

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Students may pick-up their Oak Hall pre-ordered regalia from WRJJ Bookstore starting Friday, May 21st, at 10 AM. Only regalia pre-ordered via the Oak Hall website will be available for pick up tomorrow. Note that the bookstore cafe opens at 9am, but the store will not be open until 10am.

More information is forthcoming for students who still need to purchase regalia.

Please contact WRJJ Bookstore with any questions. (860-685-3939).

FGLI Graduation Celebration – 5/25

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To the first generation and/or low-income students in the class of 2021:

We celebrate and honor your legacy!

We are proud of how much you have accomplished for yourselves, for your families, and us all. You are invited to the inaugural Honoring the Legacy event (RSVP link) to celebrate graduating FGLI seniors on Tuesday, May 25th from 12noon-1:30pm in the Hogwarts Tent (next to the parking lot at 301 High Street – Facebook event).  The Socioeconomic Status and Disability interns in The RC created this event to celebrate the graduating FGLI community at Wesleyan.  During the event the FGLI seniors will receive a free lunch, customized graduation swag, and well wishes from each other and the Wesleya n community.

DATE OF THE EVENT: May 25th, 2021
TIME: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Hogwarts Tent (next to the parking lot at 301 High Street
Please RSVP (link) because seats are limited as we need to adhere to COVID-19 capacity restrictions.

To everyone who have friends and connections to the FGLI students in the class of 2021, please help us celebrate them by submitting your best Wesleyan memories with the graduates and/or video recording a few words of congratulations (submission link), be it pictures or videos. The videos and pictures will be compiled together to form a post collage and video montage that will be displayed throughout the event.  The submission deadline is May 18th at 5PM.

Thanks,

Griselda, Shakira, Briana, and Alice

FGLI Grad Celebration Flyer

Important Commencement Updates – 4/20

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Dear Wesleyan community,

We are all excited and eager to celebrate the 189th Commencement and the accomplished and persevering Class of 2021 in person next month. I write to share important details and updates about Commencement. Our condensed Commencement exercises will take place on Andrus Field beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, rain or shine. Graduates and guests will be in a celebratory mood, but we must adhere to all COVID-19 safety precautions—wearing masks and maintaining appropriate distance.

Other important updates:

–All graduating students—including remote students, December 2020 completions, and graduate degree candidates—may participate in Commencement. Diplomas will be mailed to all graduates after Commencement. December completions and graduating seniors who are studying remotely are permitted to return for Commencement day or may opt to stay on campus Tuesday, May 25, through noon Thursday, May 27. Graduates planning to return to campus for Commencement should inform the University by April 30 by completing the Commencement Plans form.

–While the University would prefer to welcome more guests to campus, we are limiting our numbers to two guests per graduate to ensure the safety of all of our attendees. Graduates will be asked to register themselves and their two guests through the University Box Office. A separate email with the registration link will be sent when registration opens the week of April 26. Registrations are nontransferable.

–All guests should be vaccinated or have received a negative PCR test result three to five days prior to arriving on campus. Guests will enter through designated areas near Andrus Field, and contactless guest check-in will be outside the Usdan University Center.

–Guests will be seated together in groupings of two. All groupings will be spaced to ensure proper social distancing. Guest access to campus will be for Commencement day only. (Other Commencement-related events and activities will be virtual or limited to graduates.)

–For those who cannot attend in person, the Commencement ceremony will be live streamed on the Commencement 2021 website and Wesleyan Facebook page beginning at 11:00 a.m. on May 26.

For more information about Commencement please visit the Commencement 2021 website or email rc@wesleyan.edu.

Finally, these plans are subject to change if conditions warrant. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in making sure we all can mark this milestone safely. We are really looking forward to this!

Sincerely,

Mike Whaley

Vice President for Student Affairs

Notes from the Class Dean – 4/15

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Dear members of the class of 2021,

I hope this message finds you doing well. We’re entering the final month of the semester, and I know many of you are anxious for more information to help you prepare for what is to come. The following information should help you finish up required paperwork as we look towards the end of May. I anticipate that you will receive more announcements about commencement from university leadership sometime next week.

Major/Minor/Certificate Certification Forms

This is a final reminder to complete your major/minor/certificate certification forms if you haven’t already done so. You may access instructions here. Class Deans and the Registrar’s Office staff use information provided on these forms to help confirm whether graduation candidates will be cleared for their degrees at the end of the semester.

Honors Thesis Registration/Uploads

Honors candidates may upload their thesis submissions starting at 8:00am, EST on April 20th; the link for thesis submissions will close at 4:00pm, EST on April 21st.

Diploma Name and Address

This Sunday, April 18th is the deadline to submit the name that should be reflected on your diploma. Also submit the correct mailing address for the Registrar to send your diploma when it’s ready; you may submit this information through the Diploma Name and Address link in WesPortal as well. Note: undergraduate students will not receive their diplomas at commencement. The Registrar will mail diplomas for students who have completed all degree requirements and have been cleared to receive their diplomas (i.e. do not have any holds).

Diploma Holds

Students planning to graduate in May must have a student account in good standing to receive their diploma. Please contact the Student Accounts Office with questions. Additionally, eligible graduates with disciplinary holds will not receive their diplomas until those holds are removed. You may contact the Dean of Students Office with any questions.

Upon Completion Policy

I only had two students attend the Upon Completion Q & A I hosted on April 8th, and I didn’t receive many questions for the session. I’ll take that to mean that my clarifying email about the upon completion policy was helpful! You may access the content from that email here.

Change of Grading Mode

The Registrar sent out confirmation that the change of grading mode deadline is 5pm, EST, Thursday, April 28th. Remember, this change only impacts courses with the student option.

Withdrawing from Courses

Some of you have already opted to withdraw from a course with a “W” on your academic history/transcript. A “W” is not punitive in nature; it just means you withdrew from a course after the drop/add deadline.

You may request to withdraw from a course by completing the withdrawal form and emailing it to me, your instructor, and your faculty advisor. I will not send forms to the Registrar for processing without hearing from your faculty advisor and instructor. Wednesday, May 5th by 5pm EST is the deadline to withdraw from full semester and/or 4th quarter courses. Check with your faculty advisor(s), Credit Analysis Report, and Gen Ed Report (where applicable) before you request to withdraw from any courses.

2021 Commencement Regalia Updates

  • Pre-ordered caps and gowns will not be delivered to the WRJJ Bookstore until mid-May.
  • You must call Oak Hall (not the bookstore) if you wish to make a change to your order: 800-456-7623. Please tell Oak Hall that you are a Wesleyan University student from Middletown, CT and need to make a change. You’ll need to give them your order number.

Don’t forget the following resources for the final stretch of the semester:

Academic Peer Advisors (APAs)

Accessibility Services

CAPS (remember CAPS offers an after-hours service you may access with the same phone number for business hours: 860-685-2910)

Digital Learning Resources

Gordon Career Center (Check out Cardinals Helping Cardinals)

Math Workshop

Office of Religious & Spiritual Life

Peer Tutoring

Scientific Computing and Informatics Center (SCIC)

Student Academic Resources including Academic Support Services

WesNest (see WesPortal)

WesWell

Writing Workshop

Take gentle care,
Dean Leathers

2021 Commencement Regalia Reminder – 4/13

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2021 Commencement Regalia 

Students, please note: 

–Pre-ordered caps and gowns will not be delivered to the WRJJ Bookstore until mid-May. 

–If you want to make a change to an order you must call Oak Hall (not the bookstore) to make a change to your order: 800-456-7623. Please tell Oak Hall that you are a Wesleyan University student from Middletown, CT and need to make a change. You’ll need to give them your order number. 

Apply to be Senior Commencement Speaker by 4/9

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Would you like to share your Wesleyan experience at graduation?  If so, simply submit a 200-250 word essay answering the following question:

What has your Wesleyan experience meant to you?

The essay should be roughly the equivalent of the speech you wish to deliver at graduation. Completed essays should be submitted to Dean Leathers by 12:00 noon EST on Friday, April 9th; you may access the form here. Contact Dean Leathers with any questions about your submission.

All essays will be reviewed anonymously by the Senior Commencement Speaker Selection Committee, which will select several finalists for interviews from the pool. Interviews will be conducted in mid-April, after which the speaker will be announced.

Speaking at Commencement is a unique responsibility which should be taken seriously. Keep in mind that your speech should be appropriate for all commencement participants and guests. If you are interested in becoming the senior speaker for Commencement, please don’t hesitate to submit an essay!

Good luck and all the best!

The Senior Commencement Speaker Selection Committee

Fitzroy “Pablo” Wickham
Carolina Montano
Jake Kwon
Paulina Veliky
Professor Francis Starr (Faculty Marshal)

Upon Completion Policy Clarification

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Greetings!

I want to provide a point of clarification about the upon completion policy in advance of the Q & A session tomorrow.

The upon completion policy does not exempt students from meeting the university requirement to earn at least 32 applicable, cumulative credits for a degree from Wesleyan. To reiterate, every student still needs to earn at least 32, useable credits for their degrees. Remember, credits attributed to oversubscription will not count. The upon completion policy gives students flexibility to post the necessary credit for the May 2021 degree after the faculty vote on conferrals next month.

For example, if a student has completed all of the requirements for at least one major, has earned at least 16.00 credits on campus (remote study at Wesleyan counts), and still needs up to an additional two (2.00) credits, they may post that credit at a later time and still earn the degree for May 2021 once the university confirms they have completed all requirements for their diploma.

Also note, students who are “upon completion” will not receive their diplomas and the degree will not appear on their transcripts until the remaining credits are posted to their Wesleyan academic histories.  Students with this “upon completion” classification will remain in the class of 2021 but the conferral date on their transcripts will be the date that the additional credits are posted.  Note: this may be an issue for international students on F-1 visas. F-1 visa students will need to consult with OISA before pursuing this option to make sure they will be in compliance with current visa requirements.

Hopefully, this information offers more clarity, but don’t hesitate to reach out with additional questions. I encourage you to bring them to the session tomorrow evening!

Take care for now,

Dean Leathers