View Siena Heights University’s 2025 Commencement Program
View 10 am commencement recording
View 2 pm commencement recording
Get proofs from Graduation Foto, available for purchase
View event photos by SHU, available for download
Congratulations, Graduates!
Siena Heights University is excited to celebrate Commencement 2025 with you in Adrian, Michigan! This page provides all the essential information you need for a smooth and memorable graduation experience.
Eligible Graduates:
- Undergraduate and graduate students who graduated in August and December 2024, May 2025, and those anticipating graduation in August 2025.If you haven’t completed your academic requirements but want to participate early, please submit the commencement early participation form before ordering tickets.
Key Dates and Deadlines:
February 17: Online regalia orders open
March 1: Deadline for seniors to apply for graduation. The Application for Graduation can be found on MySiena:
- Login to MySiena
- On the right side of the screen, scroll down to Academic Information”
- Click on the “Application for Graduation” link.
April 9: Deadline for ordering regalia.
April 15: Deadline for:
- Commencement ticket ordering
- Name printed in the program
- Handicapped seating arrangements
May 2: Deadline for:
- Baccalaureate Mass at 5:00 PM, St. Dominic Chapel
Kente Ceremony at 6:15 PM, St. Dominic Chapel –CANCELLED
May 3: Commencement Day in Adrian with TWO ceremonies
Click link for information on Diplomas
Commencement Ceremony Details:
Saturday May 3, 2025 on Siena Heights University’s campus in Adrian, Michigan. This year SHU will host two ceremonies. This is a ticketed event and each graduate is allotted a maximum of six tickets. Details forthcoming.
Ceremony Times
- SHU Global & Graduate Student Ceremony: 10 A.M.
- Adrian Campus Undergrad Student Ceremony: 2 P.M.
Both ceremonies will take place outdoors with a inclement weather plan in place.
Tickets
- Free but Required: Order by April 15th (11:59 PM).
- Limit: Up to 6 guest tickets per graduate.*
- Order Form: Use this registration page
- Ticket Pickup (Adrian Undergraduates): Tickets will be ready for pickup Monday April 28th at 8:30am in the Provost’s office, SCI #233. It is the office to the left, just before the Library entrance.
- Ticket Mailing (SHU Global Online Students): Pick up on commencement date (NOT MAILED)
- Graduates should enter their designated parking lots west of the performing arts center (PAC)
- The table for the SHU Global graduates to pick their tickets up will be stationed outside the PAC doors facing west,
- The table will open at 8am. The table will be draped with a SHU Global table cover, with a Welcome and Go Saints! banner.
- The graduate can enter PAC from there for the Meet and Greet and to check-in. The family can walk over to the seating area or to the University Center.
Graduate Logistics
See the section below titled Event Day Timeline.
Guest Parking Logistics
Fairgrounds Lot – Parking for Both Ceremonies, SHU Global & Graduate Student Ceremony 1 and Adrian Campus Undergrad Student Ceremony 2.
Stadium Lot – 75% Dedicated Handicap Parking, 25% general parking for SHU Global & Graduate Student Ceremony 1
Elm St. Lot – Open parking for SHU Global & Graduate Student Ceremony 1
Throwing Fields – Open parking for SHU Global & Graduate Student Ceremony 1
Fieldhouse Parking Lots – Open parking for Adrian Campus Undergrad Student Ceremony 2
Admissions Lot – Employee Parking Only
Maintenance Lot – VIP Parking
ADS Regina Lot – Overflow if necessary, open parking
Directions and Parking
Siena Heights’ address is: 1247 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan 49221. The following maps will help guide you to campus:
To assist our students and guests with entering and exiting the Adrian campus efficiently, traffic heading east on Siena Heights Drive will be directed to the following parking lots: West Fieldhouse, Dominican & Performing Arts, and Addison Street Fairgrounds. Traffic heading west on Siena Heights Drive will be directed to the following parking lots: Adrian Dominican Motherhouse and the Siena Heights Drive Fairground entrance.
Photography
A professional photographer will take portraits of each graduation and they will be available for purchase following the ceremony. Information on ordering will be made available at the event. Guests are permitted to record or photograph from their seats but are asked not to use tripods or approach the stage during the ceremony so as not to disrupt the event for others.
Event Day Timeline
8:00am – Fairgrounds, PAC, VIP parking lots open
8:00am – SHU Bookstore opens
8:30am – SHU Global & Graduate check-in opens, table stationed in PAC Lobby
9;00am – Seating area opens for the 10:00am ceremony
9:30am – SHU Global & Graduate graduates must be in line
9:50am – Procession begins
10:00 – SHU Global & Graduate Ceremony (11am approximate end time)
11:00am-2:00pm Graduation Brunch
12:00pm – Fieldhouse parking lot opens for Undergrad ceremony
12:00pm – Undergraduate check-in opens, table stationed in PAC Lobby
1:00pm – Seating area opens for the 2:00pm ceremony
1:30pm – Undergraduate graduates must be in line
1:50pm – Procession begins
2:00 – Undergraduate Ceremony (4pm approx. end time)
Graduate Regalia
Regalia:
- Purchase: Online or at the SHU bookstore.
- Deadline: April 9th for online orders.
- Packages: Gown, cap, tassel can be purchased as a package or individually
- Academic Honor Cords: Details forthcoming
- Hood Color: Based on your degree (see list below).
- How-to video: Link to video tutorial here.
Degree & Hood Colors:
- BBA: Light brown
- BFA: Dark brown
- BA: White
- BS: Bright yellow
- BAS: Bright yellow
- Nursing: Apricot
- Social Work: Dark gold
- Masters: Black, white, navy & gold
Baccalaureate Mass
In the Catholic Dominican tradition, we invite all graduating seniors and their families to thank God with a Baccalaureate Mass on Friday, May 2 at 5:00 pm in St. Dominic Chapel.
The meaning of the word Baccalaureate is “sermon to the graduates.” This year’s preacher and presider is Fr. Tom Helfrich OSFS, Siena Heights’ chaplain and pastor of St. Rita Catholic Church in Clarklake, Michigan. In addition, the Siena Heights Chamber Singers will be leading the worship music that day.
Please register yourself, family and guests to attend the service. There is no limit to the number of people to invite. Please register online. We need to get an approximate number of attendees, but all are welcome to Baccalaureate Mass including those who are not registered.
Kente Ceremony
The Kente program was initiated at Siena Heights in 1992 by members of the main campus group SHAAKA, the Siena Heights African American Knowledge Association. Those African American students, now alumni, established the ceremony to honor their heritage, recognize the challenges of pursuing and completing a college education, and motivate undergraduates of color to persist in their studies through to graduation.
The goals of the Kente program are the same today, but the program now embraces and recognizes graduates of African descent from all SHU sites and programs. On the main campus, SHAAKA has evolved into the student group Black Student Union.
Kente stoles are woven in Ghana, where Kente cloth was originally the cloth of kings and queens. The stoles represent the pride of perseverance, the honor of the accomplishment, and the importance of remembering your roots. Today’s bachelor’s degree (blue) stoles are embroidered with the ram’s horn, symbolizing humility and strength, wisdom, and learning. The master’s degree (black) stoles carry the symbol of lifelong learning and the continued quest for knowledge.
Hispanic and Latino/a/x graduates are also recognized during the Kente ceremony. Students are given a Serape stole to wear. These stoles are worn to show pride in their culture and to represent the challenges and accomplishments of earning a college degree.
The Kente Ceremony is CANCELLED will take place on Friday, May 2 at 6:15 PM in St. Dominic Chapel. Please pre-register. Contact Shawna Eversole at 517-264-7607 or seversol@sienaheights.edu for more information on this ceremony.
Celebratory Brunch
A delicious brunch will be available for purchase at the University Center.
May 3rd, 11:00am-2:00pm
Adults $14.99 / Children (5-12) $7.99 / Children (Under 5) Free
Reservations Recommended & Appreciated: dining@sienaheights.edu
Diplomas
You will receive only the diploma cover when crossing the platform. The Office of Records and Registration will mail diplomas after graduation requirements are complete and obligations to the University have been met. Once all requirements and obligations are met, diplomas will be mailed May 29. To ensure timely delivery of your diploma, be sure to confirm your correct mailing address through your MYSIENA account. If your address needs to be corrected, please email the Registrar’s Office or call (517) 264-7120.
Note: Name changes must be documented with the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office will not mail documents to a SHU campus mailbox unless it is your legal mailing address. If you live in an apartment that is not your legal address, or if you will be leaving at the end of April, notify the Registrar’s Office at (517) 264-7120 of where to send your diploma.
Also note: Master of Arts diplomas do not specify the program area in which they are earned. Students completing a second concentration or major at the graduate level may participate in commencement if they choose; however, a second diploma will not be issued.
Update as of June 2, 2025: Degrees will be mailed out in June 2025 for all students who have fulfilled graduation and billing requirements. You will receive an email in your student account in MySiena from Parchment in June 2025. Please email the Registrar’s Office or call (517) 264-7120 with any questions.
