Commencement Invitation And Information

Congratulations Class of 2011!!

14th Commencement
Saturday June 18, 2011

Dear Graduate,
Commencement celebrates and rewards all your hard work and effort here at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. It is a very special day – for you the graduate, for your family and friends, and for the University. To observe and celebrate the realization of your goals, we invite all graduates to participate in the ceremony on Saturday, June 18, 2011.

Al Akhawayn University is proud of its graduates, so plan to attend the June 2011 Graduation Ceremony!

General Information
If you have completed your graduation requirements in Fall 2010 or you are planning to finish your degree during the current semester or expected to graduate in Summer 2011, you are invited to take part in the 14th commencement on June 18, 2011 in the Al Akhawayn University Gymnasium.

Please note that if you are graduating in summer, no official documents will be provided before completing all academic requirements by the end of the summer session. Your participation in the ceremony will be limited to taking part in the procession.

During your stay, you will be provided with free accommodation and meals from Friday lunch through Sunday breakfast.

Attire
As Commencement is a formal academic ceremony, please note that all graduating students should wear formal attire: Male graduates should wear a dark suit with a white shirt and black shoes. A tie will be provided. Female graduates should wear a dark business suit with a white blouse (chemisier blanc) and black shoes. A scarf will be provided.

Commencement Accessories
Commencement accessories will be provided during the rehearsal sessions. These include pins, colored handkerchiefs (for undergraduates, SSE: orange; SBA: beige; SHSS: dark brown. For graduates, SSE: mustard, moutarde; SBA: light brown; SHSS: white), black tie for men, and black scarf for women.

Guests
A separate invitation will be sent to your parents. Each graduating student is permitted a maximum of three guests (including parents and any other family); their names must be on the Registration List at the Main Gate in order for them to be granted access to campus on Commencement Day. 

Guests of graduates may spend the night on campus for a fee of 300 dh per night for a double room, subject to room availability. Reservations must be made with the Housing Office no later than June 10, 2011.

Meals will be available for guests. Tickets will be sold at the Business Office.

Children under 12 years may not attend the ceremony but may be able to watch a live broadcast in Auditorium 4 and attend the reception afterwards.

Confirm Attendance
Please make sure you submit your on-line confirmation of attendance, together with the names of your three guests, no later than June 5, 2011 using the online confirmation form accessible through the link below: http://www.aui.ma/ceremony

Check-in to Housing
Arrival to the Al Akhawayn University campus is scheduled for Friday, June 17, 2011. All graduating students must check–in at the Housing Office in Building 38 between 9:00 am and 2:30 pm. If you need to be here either earlier or later than those times, please mention it in your online reservation form. All graduates should plan to attend a first meeting in the gymnasium on Friday, June 17 at 4:00 pm.

Rehearsal
Graduates must attend the rehearsal sessions on Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, 2011, as indicated in the schedule below.

At these rehearsals, graduates will receive instructions about the ceremony, the procession procedure, where to line up before entering the gymnasium, what to do once in, what to do when called on to receive the diploma cover, and where to have your photo taken, etc. The ranking list will be posted in the hall near the gymnasium to help you find your place in the line.  

Class Speaker
Each year a class speaker is selected by the class to give a short speech during the commencement ceremony.

To encourage the Al Akhawayn University Class of 2011 to come together in selecting your speaker and class gift, a Facebook group has been created where you can post questions and comments about the 14th Commencement, interact with members of your class, vote for your class speaker, and track progress of the class gift. Note that only members of the Class of 2011 may join this group.

If you want to be the 2011 Class Speaker and give a speech on behalf of the Class of 2011, you can post a video (not longer than 30 seconds) on this Facebook page explaining why you should be the 2011 class speaker.

The deadline to post videos on Facebook is Tuesday, May 31 at 5:00 pm. Any videos posted after this deadline may not be eligible for consideration.

Voting online will begin on Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00 noon and close on Tuesday, June 7 at 10:00 pm. Results will be announced on Wednesday, June 8.

Seating and Presentation
The graduate procession into the gymnasium begins at 3:00 pm. Plan to be in the corridor located between Building 4 and Building 10 immediately following the group photo session scheduled for 2:15 in order to be ready for the procession. Staff members will help you in the pre-procession preparation. All graduates should be lined up and ready for the beginning of the ceremony by 2:55. The Staff will usher graduates to their seats (with their names).

Please make sure to turn off your mobile phone, BlackBerries, iPhones, etc., before you enter the gymnasium.
Following speeches of the Al Akhawayn President, Al Akhawayn Chancellor, and keynote speaker, graduates will be called according to their degree program, distinction, and alphabetical order, as follows:

1. Undergraduate students: BBA, BSGE, BSCSC, BSEMS, BAIS, BACS, BSHRD.
2. Graduate students: Executive MBA, MBA, MSCF, MSCSC, MSSE, MSCN, MSBTC, MAISD.

Photography
A group photo session is scheduled at 2:15 in front of the mosque. All graduates will take a program/school group photo with their dean and faculty. Another group photo will be taken with the members of the Board of Trustees, the keynote speaker, and University executives.

Individual portraits of each graduate will be taken in the gymnasium during the ceremony by professional photographers, who will take photos of each graduate as he/she crosses the stage to receive their diploma cover and shake hands with their Dean, and separately once they leave the stage. (The actual diplomas will be delivered at Enrollment Services).

Each graduate will receive later, free of charge, a brochure with photos (where available) of all graduating students, a group photo, and a DVD of the ceremony.

Graduates will be able to purchase prints of their individual photographs after Commencement through photography studios in Ifrane and elsewhere in Morocco. Detailed information about purchasing prints will be announced before Commencement.

Please note that hairdressers will be available on campus for a fee to be determined.

Although personal picture-taking is permissible during the ceremony, photographers must remain in their seats and must not block the view of others.

Academic Information
Upon completing all academic requirements, and depending on the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), honors are awarded on the following CGPA scale:
3.25 – 3.49                       Cum Laude (with honors)
3.50 – 3.64                       Magna Cum Laude (with high honors)
3.65 – 4.00                       Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors)

Diplomas
Diplomas and alumni ID cards will be delivered at Enrollment Services between 5:30 and 8:00 on June 18 to accommodate graduates who are planning to leave Al Akhawayn the same day.  Other graduates may collect their diplomas between 9:00 and 12:00 the following day – June 19, 2011. Please note that the Office of Enrollment Services will be closed after 12:00 noon on Sunday, June 19.

After the ceremony and prior to reporting to Enrollment Services to receive your diploma, you should check-out of your room, get your “Financial Clearance Form” from the Housing Office, and clear you financial situation at the Business Office. Only cleared students can receive their diplomas.
According to Al Akhawayn policy regarding diploma delivery, if a student cannot be present at the graduation ceremony or cannot come to the University to collect his/her diploma at a later date, s/he may give power of attorney (procuration) to a legally responsible person to collect the diploma on their behalf. The proxy must bear the signature of the graduate and be certified as true (légalisation de signature) by one of the following:
• Moroccan authorities within Morocco or Moroccan consular representation abroad

• A notary public
The person authorized to collect the diploma must come in person to the University and produce the following documents:
• The original of the proxy
• His or her National Identity Card or valid passport.

We regret that no diploma can be mailed

Commencement Schedule
Friday, June 17
9:00-2:30                     Graduates check into their rooms.
4:00                             First briefing and rehearsal in the gymnasium
Saturday, June 18
10:00                           Last briefing and rehearsal in the gymnasium
12:00                           Lunch
2:15                             Group photo session at the Roman amphitheater: graduates with dean and faculty then with the Board of Trustees, Keynote Speaker and Executives)
3:00                             Commencement ceremony
5:00 - 7:00                   Reception
5:00 - 8:00                   Diploma delivery
Sunday, June 19
9:00 - 12:00                 Graduates check out of dorms and collect their diplomas (if not already done)

Once again, we salute you for completing your degree requirements and commend you for your academic and personal achievements as a student at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane.  We wish you success in your career and personal goals and encourage you to maintain the relationships that you have established with Al Akhawayn by becoming a member of the Alumni Association.

 Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. Enrollment Services

website: www.aui.ma