February 7, 2019

Dear VUSN Graduate:

Vanderbilt Commencement Exercises will be held on Friday, May 10, 2019. I think you will understand why Vanderbilt has only one Commencement Ceremony per year when you see the magnitude and pageantry of this year’s Commencement Exercises.

Vanderbilt’s Commencement Exercises are the University’s one public ceremony and corporate ritual that honors achievement in learning.  It is the one occasion in which all the academic branches of the University assemble to embody and celebrate Vanderbilt’s identity.  An opportunity to participate in the pomp and circumstance of this day should not be missed. 

Following the Commencement Exercises, the School of Nursing will hold its own diploma awarding ceremony at Branscomb Quadrangle called Investiture of the Academic Hood.  During this ceremony your Master’s hood will be placed on your shoulders by your Program Director and the Deans. The traditional act of the faculty placing the hood on the graduate symbolizes the passage of authority to practice advanced level nursing. A reception for graduates and their families and friends will follow the ceremony. 

In order for the information to be correct in the Investiture Program, it is most important that you return the enclosed form to the School of Nursing by April 1, 2019. 

The VU Commencement Office has a very robust website with all the information you will need:  www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement.  There is a link on this website to order your regalia online. The deadline to order your regalia is April 5, 2019.  All School of Nursing activities are included in the link for Graduate and Professional students. 

If you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 615-343-3334 or sarah.ramsey@vanderbilt.edu 

I will look forward to seeing you in May.

Sincerely,

Sarah B. Ramsey
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing