Commencement

Academic Information

Congratulations on your pending graduation!  Here are a few reminders about what needs to be done to make sure degree requirements are completed.

  • Undergraduates should confer with their major adviser to make sure all major requirements are complete, or are in the process of being completed.
  • Confer and confirm with the Academic Advising Center that all general education and standard requirements have or will be completed.  (Minimum of 120 credits, 2.00 GPA, and 32 upper level credits)
  • Double check your academic record for transfer credit totals, repeated courses and incompletes.  Check with Academic Advising about how to address any problems.
  • You must apply for graduation in order to graduate and participate in the commencement ceremonies. 

 

Latin Honors Policy

Message to Students, Faculty and Staff from Dr. Katherine J. Denniston, Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (as of Spring 2009)

The most difficult decisions are those for which there are a number of reasonable options.  In the fall of 2005 a properly constituted committee, recognizing that Towson University has become one of the finest universities in the country, elected to enact new and more rigorous criteria for Latin Honors that reflect the quality of this great university. The University Senate, including its student members, voted to ratify these new criteria and agreed to an implementation date of spring 2009.  This was duly reported in all subsequent university catalogs (2006 and forward), as well as on the Academic Affairs Web page.  In addition, an announcement was published on the Daily Digest.  Nonetheless, many students remained unaware of the change in criteria and continued to work toward those criteria printed in their catalog of record (2005 and earlier).

Both positions have merit and any decision regarding the Latin Honors criteria to be used for the class graduating in May, 2009 will upset and disappoint a portion of our university community, and justifiably so.  I have consulted with the University Senate, the University Council of Chairpersons, the Provost’s Council, and the President’s Council and listened to many valid, reasoned arguments to keep the 10% standard or to delay its application.  In the end, I have decided to err on the side of compassion for our students.  For the May, 2009 graduating class, we apply the Latin Honors criteria published in the 2005 University Catalog.

I will immediately convene a committee to establish a more rigorous set of standards for Latin Honors, which may be the current recommendation of 10% of the graduating class or a more demanding definition based on grade point averages.  This will be presented to the University Senate for its approval and a letter will be sent to every student who will be studying at Towson University in the fall of 2009 and thereafter.  This letter will outline the new standards and inform every student that the new standards will be applied immediately and supersede those criteria published in all Towson University catalogs.

Graduate Students

Candidates who are unsure of degree/certificate requirements should meet with their advisers. For other information related to clearances, address changes, and other similar matters, contact Laura Amos or see the Graduate school Web site.

            

 

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