CMCC 2025 Commencement

They are not the same! Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. 

Graduation is the process of completing program requirements as indicated by the course audit, and settling all financial obligations to the college. Once final grades are posted, your record will be evaluated and your diploma will be sent to you via mail to your address on file. The process of auditing all students for graduation takes an average of 6-10 weeks from the end of the semester. 

Commencement is the spring ceremony, officiated by the President of Central Maine Community College, to celebrate the importance of your academic accomplishments. It is also a time for Central Maine Community College, The Maine Community College System Board of Trustees, The Maine Community College System President, administrators and faculty to acknowledge the exceptional efforts you have shown in earning your certificate or degree.

Eligibility for degree or certificate conferment is contingent upon completion of all requirements of a designated program of study in accordance with the Maine Community College System and CMCC requirements.  Students must:

1. Satisfactorily complete all courses in the program.
2. Complete the aggregate number of credit hours in a program with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
3. Participate in College-wide or program-specific assessment activities.
4. Meet the residency requirements as defined in the CMCC catalog.
5. Fulfill all financial obligations to the College in order to receive a degree or certificate. (Make sure all library fines, fees, account balances, etc. are paid at the CMCC business office).

All degree requirements, including transfer credit, must be completed and accepted by the College prior to the last semester of enrollment. The only exceptions are the courses in which the student is currently enrolled.

To initiate the graduation process, a student must:

1. Fill out and submit the “Apply to Graduate” form by the deadline in the semester that you will complete all degree requirements. The graduation application can be completed by clicking on this link.
   • Deadlines are:
   • Last Friday in March for May graduation
   • Last Friday in July for August graduation
   • Last Friday in November for December graduation
2. Once the Registrar’s Office has received your confirmation, a degree audit will be performed. If there is an issue with your degree audit, the Center for Advising and Registration (C.A.R.) will contact you and/or your advisor via email for clarification. Please contact the C.A.R. if you have questions regarding your degree audit or graduation requirements.
3. At the end of the term, after final grades have been recorded, the C.A.R. will begin its final review of degree audits. If you have not fulfilled the program requirements, you will receive an email to your CMCC email account. It is important to regularly check your student email account, and provide accurate personal email and phone numbers.
4. Upon verifying successful completion of all degree requirements your diploma will be mailed approximately 6 to 10 weeks after the end of the semester.

Any student who has, or will, meet the degree requirements for graduation by the end of the summer, fall or spring semesters may participate in the May graduation ceremony.  Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 graduates may participate (march) in the May 2025 commencement ceremony. A graduation confirmation form must be received by the student in order to participate in commencement.

Students who are no more than 6 credits short of completing degree requirements and wish to participate in the commencement ceremony may do so if the student is enrolled for the required credits during the next term that the course or courses are available.

If you plan to participate in the 2025 Commencement ceremony, you must order your regalia (cap and gown) which can be done by clicking on this link. The deadline to order regalia for this year’s ceremony is March 23, 2025. The cost of your cap and gown is covered by the CMCC.

If you decide after the deadline to participate in the ceremony, we will do our best to locate regalia extras. You must email from your CMCC email to cmccregistrar@mainecc.edu with your name, ID number, height, weight. Please understand that we are very limited in on-hand regalia and you are best served by ordering directly from the company using the link above ahead of the deadline.

For the purpose of wearing honors cords at commencement, students must meet the cumulative GPA requirements listed below:

• Honors – 3.30 to 3.599 receives one honor cord;
• High Honors – 3.600 to 3.899 receives two honor cords;
• President’s Honors – 3.900 to 4.000 receives two honor cords.

The calculation of the cumulative GPA does not include spring semester grades, since these may not be calculated for all students at the time of the ceremony. However, final calculation of GPAs made after spring semester grades are posted will be used to determine the display of honors on final transcripts.

If you have any questions about the honors policy, please contact the Center for Advising and Registration at 207-755-5292 or cmccregistrar@mainecc.edu.

The only “extra” items allowed in the commencement ceremony are listed below. Graduates are allowed to decorate their caps provided the decor are appropriate and in good taste; CMCC reserves the right to remove any caps that could be considered offensive, derogatory or vulgar.

Phi Theta Kappa

If you are a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, you may wear a PTK honor stole at graduation.  Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members may purchase the PTK gold honor stole from the PTK website.

• Please Note: The stole is the only commencement paraphernalia that is worn at CMCC’s commencement ceremony, but you can purchase anything for your own personal use.
• Questions?  Contact the PTK advisor, Judi Moreno, (jmoreno@mainecc.edu) in the Learning Commons.

If you are transferring to another college to complete a four-year degree, remember to inquire about scholarships for Phi Theta Kappa members.

National Society of Leadership & Success (NSLS)

If you are a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, you may wear a NSLS honor stole at graduation.  NSLS members may purchase the NSLS honor stole from the NSLS website.

• Please Note: The NSLS stole is the only commencement paraphernalia that is worn at CMCC’s commencement ceremony, but you can purchase anything for your own personal use.
• Questions? Contact the NSLS advisor, Grimes Williams (gwilliams@mainecc.edu) in the Student Services suite located in Jalbert Hall Room 13.

On behalf of Central Maine Community College, I congratulate you on your academic success. Here are some important details you might be interested in regarding the upcoming Commencement ceremony.

The ceremony will be held Thursday, May 15, at The Colisee in Lewiston at 6:00 p.m. The ceremony lasts approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. The address of The Colisee is 190 Birch Street, Lewiston, ME 04240.

Graduation Rehearsal will be held Tuesday, May 13, at 2:00 p.m. in the Kirk Hall Auditorium immediately followed by Regalia (cap and gown) Pick-up. Regalia packets include the cap/tassel, gown, honor cord(s) if applicable, and name reader card. Please plan accordingly. If you miss this opportunity, you may pick up your cap and gown in the Center for Advising & Registration office on Wednesday, May 14 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you need to pick up your regalia outside of regular business hours, please make arrangements in advance (CMCCRegistrar@mainecc.edu or 207-755-5292). Regalia will NOT be available at the Colisee, please come prepared.

You will not be able to pick up your cap and gown if you have a financial obligation to the College. If you are unsure of your status, please check your bill online or contact Student Billing at 207.755.5219.

A few additional important notes:

1. If people frequently mispronounce your name (for example: your name is spelled SMYTH but pronounced SMITH) please see the Academic Dean at the rehearsal. They will make a note on your name reader card for the ceremony. They will also be available during line-up on graduation day at the Colisee.
2. If you are a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society or the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), you may wear the respective honor stole at graduation. Phi Theta Kappa members may purchase the PTK gold honor stole by ordering online at this link.  NSLS members may purchase the stole/cord by ordering online at this link.
   (Please note: The honors stole is the only additional paraphernalia that is worn at CMCC’s commencement ceremony, but you can purchase anything for your own personal use). Questions? Contact the respective advisor for each group.
3. On graduation day, Thursday, May 15, graduates should arrive at The Colisee no earlier than 4:45 p.m. and no later than 5:30 p.m. Please remember to bring your name reader card that was included in your regalia packet. When you arrive, please look for the signs in the lobby that state which hallway your program is located (right-hand or left-hand side of the lobby) and proceed. Next, you will look for your program’s banner on the hallway walls.
4. If you are graduating with two degrees, you will have two name reader cards and may choose to go up to the stage twice, once for each major. Those students who choose to cross the stage twice should line up with the program listed (alphabetically) first. Once you have crossed stage for the first program, you must look for students from the second program and line up with them. It might be helpful to have someone hold your place.
5. When you are called to the stage during the ceremony, you will receive an empty diploma cover. This is yours to keep. Official diplomas will be mailed by the end of June once all program requirements have been confirmed.
6. Tickets are not required, and there is no limit to the number of guests that may attend.
7. The Commencement Ceremony will also be streamed live from CMCC’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/CMCCMaine.
8. Please contact David Gonyea at 207.755.5251 or dgonyea@mainecc.edu if you or any guest(s) need special accommodations or seating.

Please check The Graduation page on our website here: “Graduation and Commencement Information” for the most up-to-date information regarding the ceremony. We will be posting last minute information to the site rather than contacting you individually.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 207.755.5292 or CMCCRegistrar@mainecc.edu. I wish you the best as you complete your studies at Central Maine Community College.

You may wear whatever you find comfortable; however, you must wear clothing. In the arena, where the ceremony takes place, the ice is covered by a protective flooring that can be slippery. We recommend wearing shoes you feel confident walking in to help minimize the risk of slipping.