Faculty Marshals

To sign up as a faculty marshal, please email cosevent@gmu.edu with your name, email and department name.

Arrival and Schedule

Marshals should check in an hour and a half before the degree celebration ceremonies. Faculty should arrive in regalia at the EagleBank Arena East Entrance (Administrative Offices) and check in with a college staff member at the ‘Marshal Check-In’ sign, where you will receive an instruction sheet and a seating chart showing departmental arrangements in the arena.

Marshal Attire

All marshals must arrive in regalia. Faculty who marshal at both the University Commencement and College of Science Degree Celebration will have the cost of renting regalia covered by the university. Contact the University Bookstore in person or via email at sm366@bncollege.com.

Rental Details

• Order Deadline: April 10, 2026 (to avoid a $25 late fee). Please note that the University is not responsible for any late charges.
• University Bookstore Pickup: Available starting May 4, 2026. Orders placed after the deadline may be delayed; please call the bookstore to confirm availability before visiting.
• Returns: All rental regalia must be returned by May 15, 2026. You will be responsible for the replacement cost if regalia is not returned.

If you need alternate arrangements, please email the bookstore.
The University follows American Council on Education guidelines for regalia.

Degree Celebration Marshal Duties

Reader Cards
Please help the staff distribute reader cards. Ensure that students in your group have filled them out. They will hand the card to the reader on the stage. Remind students to:

• Write their full name on the card
• Write legibly
• Include a phonetic spelling if their name might be difficult for the reader to pronounce (they might be able to say their name quietly to the reader before their name is read).
• Not include any other information such as double majors, minors, cutesy nicknames, or messages to friends and family in the audience. Readers are instructed to read only the name of the student.

Ceremony and Presentation of Degrees
College staff members will be on the floor to cue the students to head to the stage at the appropriate time. Please help facilitate this movement as necessary.

During the presentation of degrees for your department or program, marshals should stand in the aisle to facilitate students’ return to their rows.

Out of respect for their fellow graduates, students are strongly discouraged from leaving during the ceremony after they have crossed the stage. If students try to leave, please tell them they need to wait until the end of the ceremony. Students who need to use a restroom should be directed to college staff standing at the back of EagleBank Arena.

Recessional 
At the end of the ceremony, there is a full recessional. The platform party leaves first. After they have recessed, the college staff directs the students to leave starting from the front rows working to the back rows. You can assist by having students be ready to exit the row to their right (when facing the stage) starting with the first row, following the direction of the college staff members on the floor of the arena. Everyone will exit via the same doors through which they entered. After leaving the building, students can join their families and friends at the college reception in Exploratory Hall.