Commencement & Pinning

nursing pins on a black background

Livestreams

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Vanderbilt School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony | Ingram Hall | 4:00 p.m. 

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice
  • Emergency Nurse Practitioner
  • Family Nurse Practitioner/Emergency Nurse Practitioner
  • Master of Nursing
  • Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Nursing Education

Instructions for Pinning Ceremony

  • You are required to RSVP. In your RSVP, you will indicate the number of guests that you will bring. Please monitor your Vanderbilt email address for the instructions to RSVP.
  • Please note that you will receive an invitation to RSVP from the VUSN Office of Student Affairs to your Vanderbilt email address. This invitation will also include a link to reserve guest tickets via the Blair School of Music website. You must complete the RSVP form and complete the ticket reservation form—these are separate forms. You must complete the RSVP form even if you do not intend to attend the ceremony.
  • Graduates are permitted to invite a maximum of 5 guests. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
  • There will be a ticketing system via the Blair School of Music website. Your guests must obtain tickets or they will not be allowed inside Ingram Hall. Request tickets here.
  • Graduates need to arrive by 3:30 p.m.
  • You should not wear academic regalia or honor cords. We recommend business attire for graduates and suggest not wearing any spaghetti straps, strapless shirts/dresses, or high-necked blouses as they could interfere with the placement of the pin.
  • Please check-in at the table located at the doors of Ingram Hall when you arrive.
    You will be seated alphabetically within your specialty as this is the order you will be called up.
  • At the Pinning ceremony, you are traditionally pinned by your program director. You may also be pinned by a close family member who is also a nurse---this must be approved by Dr. Lewis in advance. If you have a nurse family member who will pin you, that family member will sit next to you. No other guests will be allowed to sit next to you, including minor age children (please make plans accordingly).
  • PMC recipients: Your certificate will be mailed to your home address in YES. At the Pinning ceremony, you will receive a certificate holder with a congratulatory message insert. Your official document is your official Vanderbilt transcript.
  • Grad Images will be present to take your photograph during the ceremony. You will be able to purchase retouched photos from Grad Images at a later date. 
  • The ceremony is expected to last for 45 minutes to one hour.
  • The ceremony will be livestreamed. Please monitor the Blair School of Music website for the livestream.
  • Graduates or guests with mobility needs should find a member of Ingram Hall staff to escort them to the accessible seating area.
  • Parking will be available in the West Garage.

Further instructions will be sent closer to the date. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Feylyn Lewis.

Friday, May 9, 2025

Investiture of the Academic Hood ceremony | Friday, May 9, 2025 at 2:00pm | Magnolia Lawn on the Peabody campus

General Information

  • Graduates must RSVP by April 18th, even if they are not attending the Investiture.
  • All graduates taking part in the Investiture ceremony must wear Vanderbilt’s newly designed regalia (cap and gown) to participate.
  • Regalia should be ordered through the VU website: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement/regalia/
  • The maximum number of guests for each graduate is 10 guests. Graduates will not be permitted to request extra
    guests.
  • The ceremony will last approximately two hours. Immediately following the ceremony, graduates and guests are
    invited to a reception held on Magnolia Lawn.
  • The ceremony will be livestreamed on this website.

Instructions to graduates—*A dedicated Frequently Asked Questions Section will be posted
closer to Commencement.

  • Please plan to arrive at 1:15 p.m. on Magnolia Lawn. You will check-in with our staff upon your arrival. The check-in tent will be located on stage left of the ceremony tent.
  • Please wear your regalia robes. If you do not wear regalia, you will not be allowed to participate. Please review Vanderbilt’s Adornment Policy.

While your ceremony will take place under a tent, you may wish to bring an umbrella or rain poncho.

  • Guests and graduates can park at the following locations: Wesley Place Garage, Sony, and
    Lot 77. Parking is free at those designated locations. At Wesley Place Garage, there will be shuttles running to and
    from Magnolia Lawn.
  • The ceremony will be livestreamed and will last approximately two hours. The livestream will be hosted on the VUSN Commencement webpage. We suggest sharing the VUSN Commencement webpage with your remote family and friends in advance.
  • Guests are seated first come, first serve. As a reminder, you may bring a maximum of 10 guests. There are no tickets, instead we ask you to abide by the honor system.

Restrooms are located in One Magnolia which is the brick building closest to 21st Avenue, immediately to stage left of the tent.

There will be a reception immediately following the ceremony at Magnolia Lawn. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

If you are no longer able to attend, please let the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Feylyn Lewis know immediately.