2024 Wayne Law Commencement Ceremony

• Arrival time

  Student arrival: 3 p.m.
  Guest arrival: 4 p.m.
  Ceremony: 5 p.m.

  Doors will open for guests one hour prior to the start of the Commencement Ceremony.

  Graduates should arrive and have regalia on two (2) hours prior to the start time in order to be placed in the processional line-up.

  Graduates are expected to remain for the entire ceremony from the time they arrive at the Detroit Opera House to the end of the ceremony after they are processed out.

   

  Faculty/Administration Arrival: 4 p.m.

• Tickets

  Each graduate will receive up to 10 guest tickets for the commencement ceremony.

  There are no designated seat numbers with these tickets, they are general seating.

  You will pick up your tickets at Send-Off Days.

   

  If you have not yet picked up your tickets, please make arrangements with Cindy Hildreth, at cynthia.hildreth@wayne.edu.

   

   

• Regalia

  You will order and purchase your regalia (cap and gown) at Graduation Prep Days, either Monday, March 4 or Thursday, March 7, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Law School. You will pick up your purchased regalia at Send-Off Days, either Tuesday, April 16 or Wednesday, April 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Law School.

  If you are not able to attend Graduation Prep Day to order your regalia,you can visit the Barnes & Noble Bookstore to do so. 

  JD Regalia cost: $247.94 + tax; MSL regalia is slightly less.

  Barnes & Noble will accept credit cards and cash for regalia payment, but checks are not accepted. Credit card payments cannot be accepted over the phone. Please plan accordingly.

   

  **If you purchased regalia and have not picked it up, you can do so at Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Contact information is below should you need to contact them.

  Location: Barnes and Noble Bookstore

  82 W. Warren, Detroit, MI 48202 (corner of Cass and Warren Roads)

  Phone: (313) 577-2436; email sm740@bncollege.com. Website: https://wayne.bncollege.com/

   

• Parking information

  The Detroit Opera House Parking Center is located on John R. Street, at Broadway street across the street from the Detroit Opera House, 1426 Broadway St, Detroit, MI 48226 where guests can park for a $15 fee per car, credit cards only.

  View the Map of the Detroit Opera House Parking and Entrances.

• Accessibility

  We are committed to ensuring accessibility for all guests. Please submit requests for any accommodations you, your family or friends, may need no later than Friday, April 26 via email lawcommunications@wayne.edu.

  American Sign Language Interpreters will be signing the Commencement Ceremony. 

  There is limited mobility seating and wheelchairs availble at the entrances of the Detroit Opera House if needed. Detroit Opera House staff and Wayne Law volunteers will be available for guidance and to answer any questions upon arrival.

• Suggested attire

  Graduates should wear their regalia (cap and gown, and cords if eligible). 

  Barnes & Noble staff and other volunteers will be available to assist graduates with proper regalia wear at the Detroit Opera House prior to the ceremony.

  Comfortable shoes are recommended!

• Ceremony length

  It is anticipated that the ceremony last for 90 minutes to two hours.

• Photography

  Professional photography will be taken of the graduates in their regalia when they receive their diploma on stage, as well as posed after they walk off the stage. The photographers will also be in Boll Hall where students gather prior to the ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m.

  Instructions on how to order these photos will be provided to graduates from the professional photographer following Commencement.

   

  Photos for Class Composite

  If you have not had your headshot taken for the 2024 composite, as a reminder, you can do a few things (deadline is May 12, 2024):

  1. Visit Jewell Photo to get your headshot taken. Jewell Photo is located at 27526 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI, 48081, Call or email to make your appointment: (586) 461-2500 or jewellphoto1919@gmail.com. (Let them know if  you are MSL/JD/LLM at WSU Law School. There is no cost for the class composite, but headshot packages purchased through Jewell Photo are at the graduate’s expense.)
  2. Submit your own professional headshot to lawcommunications@wayne.edu. State what degree you’ve earned with the Law School (MSL, JD, or LLM), and that the photo submission is for the 2024 Class Composite. (Must be business attire. There is no cost to you for the class composite).
     1. If your photo is from a professional photographer, you will need a copy release to use it, so please attach the written approval for the outside photographer to use it.
     2. It should be at least 8 MB in size. The higher resolution the better.