Commencement

Commencement Ceremony Details

 

2013 Details::

• 3 p.m. Participants arrive at Ted Mann and head to dressing rooms
• 3 p.m. Doors into Ted Mann open for guests
• 3:15 p.m. Humphrey group photo (optional)
• 3:30 p.m. Participants line up
• 4 p.m. Ceremony begins

Location:
Ted Mann Concert Hall is located on the West Bank campus at 2128 4th Street South.

Transportation + Parking
There is considerable road construction in the area, so please plan your trip accordingly.

From River Road:  Take River Road to 4th Street South. Follow 4th Street South to 21st Ave S. Turn left on 21st and then immediately right into the 21st Avenue Parking Ramp to park.
From the east:  Take I94 westbound and take the Cedar Ave exit. Turn right on Cedar then right on 3rd Street South. (3rd Street South is BEFORE you cross the Washington Avenue Bridge). Turn right on 19th and then left on 4th St. S. Turn right on 21st and then right into the 21st Avenue parking ramp to park.
From the west:  Take I94 eastbound and take the Riverside exit. At the end of the exit ramp turn right on to 25th Avenue S, then right on Franklin Avenue, then right on Cedar Avenue. Turn right on 3rd Street South. (3rd Street South is BEFORE you cross the Washington Avenue Bridge). Turn right on 19th and then left on 4th St. S. Turn right on 21st and then right into the 21st Avenue parking ramp to park.
From the north or south:  Take 35W and exit at the Washington Avenue exit. Take Washington east towards Seven Corners. Turn left on 15th Ave. S, then right on to 19th Ave S., then left on 4th Street S. Turn right on 21st and then right into the 21st Avenue Parking ramp to park.
For more information, including detour routes, please visit the project web site  http://www.minneapolismn.gov/cip/all/cip_riverside_index.

Group Photo:
All Humphrey graduates will have the opportunity to participate in the group photo, which will take place at 3:15 p.m. on the stairs inside Ted Mann Concert Hall. You will see the stairs as soon as you walk in the main entrance. Photo participants will be wearing gowns, but no caps. (You may hold on to your cap.) If you would like to order a print of the photo, please contact the photographer.

Parking:
The 21st Avenue Ramp and Lot 94 are the closest available places to park.

Dress:
Caps and gowns are required for the ceremony (unless you are in international ceremonial dress). You can read information about gowns and hoods. The Public Affairs Student Association also lends used gowns to interested students.

There are dressing rooms available for your use at Ted Mann, and they will be locked during the ceremony. A volunteer will point you toward the backstage area when you arrive.

Ted Mann also has lockers on the entrance level for a fee. If it is especially rainy or cold on commencement day, you may want to tell your guests about this service.

Your cap and gown will include a diagram for hood placement. The hood loop is meant to go around a button on a shirt. If you are not wearing a shirt with buttons you may use a safety pin to secure the loop to your shirt, or better yet, the gown itself. Safety pins, bobby pins, and other helpful items will be available in the dressing rooms at Ted Mann.

Lining up:
Be ready to line up at 3:30pm. Staff and student volunteers will assist in placing you in alphabetical order in the backstage area.

Reception:
The reception will be held immediately following the ceremony in terrace between the Ted Mann Concert Hall and Ferguson Hall. Refreshments (cookies, coffee, and punch) will be served.

Commencement Speaker

Jacob (Jake) Sullivan, who recently was appointed as Vice President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, will deliver the Humphrey School of Public Affairs’ commencement address on May 20, 2013. Sullivan, from Minneapolis, served as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff and director for the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning during the first four years of the Obama Administration.

Sullivan has been included in Time magazine's "40 under 40" list of emerging civic leaders. He is a graduate of Minneapolis' Southwest High School and attended Yale University, then studied international relations as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. After receiving his law degree, Sullivan clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer before returning to Minneapolis in 2006 to practice at Fagre & Benson LLP. He worked for a brief time as counsel to Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar before joinging Clinton's presidential campaign and later becoming Deputy Chief of Staff after her appointment to Secretary of State.

RSVP

Please RSVP using the online form no later than April 25, 2013.