Commencement and Hooding Ceremony

2022 School of Graduate Studies Commencement and Hooding Ceremony

Thursday, May 19, 2022 • 6 pm
Morris W. and Fannie B. Haft Theater

We congratulate the Class of 2022 and wish the graduates and their guests a happy and memorable day!

To help ensure a pleasant experience for all attendees, FIT is pleased to provide information regarding access, logistics, and general instructions for the 2022 Commencement and Hooding Ceremony at the Haft Theater at FIT.

New This Year

The ceremony will be livestreamed, which you can access through the FIT commencement website or Vimeo, and can be viewed live from any location with internet access or viewed on demand after the event.

Alumni Relations will join the reception celebration and will share information about future events and exciting networking opportunities.

The Commencement Group, a local floral provider, will be on campus with flowers available for purchase before and after the ceremony. To preorder and browse the selection, visit thecommencementgroup.com/fit.

On-Site Health and Safety Requirements

At this time, proof of vaccination is not necessary to enter the Haft Theater or the FIT campus, but masks covering one’s nose and mouth are required inside all FIT buildings. An exception will be made for graduates to remove their masks as they cross the stage during the ceremony; faculty and administrators sitting on stage will also be allowed to be unmasked.

Masks may be removed outdoors, including at the outdoor reception on the Breezeway. These conditions are subject to change should federal, New York State, New York City, or venue guidelines change due to the pandemic.

Graduate Attire

All graduating students are required to wear academic regalia (cap and gown).

Hooding

Within each program, graduates will come onto the stage when their names are announced, walk to stage left for hooding, and continue across the stage to return to their seats. Note: Graduates may remove their masks while they cross the stage. The graduates will go up on stage with hood on their right arm. The dean for the School of Graduate Studies will announce each student’s name and the department chair will place the hood on each graduate (as they face the audience, the hood is placed over the graduate’s head).

Graduate Arrival Time

Students are expected to arrive at 5 pm fully robed in their regalia (cap and gown) to be seated with their program.

Guest Arrival, Entrance, and Seating

Guests should use the Haft Theater entrance on West 27th Street. Look for balloons marking the entrance.

Doors open at 5:15 pm for guests with admission tickets. Tickets will be scanned at the door. Please make sure all guests in your party have tickets; no one can be admitted without one.

Seating is first come, first seated, and seats may not be reserved. If all members of your party have not yet arrived, please delay entering the venue until your party is together to ensure you will all be seated together. The ceremony will begin promptly at 6 pm.

Accessibility and Special Accommodations

The Haft Theater is an accessible venue. Accommodation requests for graduates and their guests may be directed to the Office of Disability Support Services (FIT-ABLE). Attendees with special needs (wheelchair assistance, FM systems, etc.) may submit their request via the Request for Accommodations at Commencement form. Closed captioning of the ceremony can be accessed by selecting the captioning option on the commencement livestream, which will be available at fitnyc.edu/commencement and on Vimeo.

Security

FIT is monitored by Public Safety officers throughout campus. However, there is no storage for personal belongings at the Haft Theater. We recommend that graduates bring only their caps, gowns, and essential personal items or a small handbag that they can keep with them during the ceremony.

Ceremony Duration

The program will be approximately one hour long from the start of the procession.

Group Photos

Immediately following the ceremony, please proceed to the Breezeway for department group photos before joining your guests for the celebration. There will be a step-and-repeat outdoors adjacent to the Dubinsky Student Center entrance for your class portrait. The outdoor location allows your professors and classmates to be photographed without masks.

Reception

A reception for all in attendance will follow the ceremony on the Breezeway.

Commencement Livestream

You can now access video of the May 19 event on Vimeo.

Code of Conduct

Students, please remember at this event you will be held to the same expectations and standards outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. Any individuals who violate these policies will be asked to leave the ceremony.

Further details will be posted when available. This page last updated: May 20, 2022.