2024 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

A crowd of doctoral graduates in academic regalia raise their arms and cheer at the end of the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
Dean E. Smith Center

Letter from the Dean

Dean Beth Mayer-DavisGraduates—congratulations on achieving your graduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through the creation of new knowledge, your boundless curiosity, and your drive to serve others, you are poised to thrive beyond the walls of our beloved University.

Graduate students represent the crossroads of research and impact. You have the knowledge to help solve society’s greatest challenges and serve the future of our state in the workforce and beyond. Our doctoral hooding ceremony will recognize these accomplishments. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at the Dean E. Smith Center. We welcome family members, friends, and anyone else you would like to invite.

Each doctoral graduate student who participates in the ceremony will be called to the stage to have the hood of the commencement regalia conferred by their advisor or other departmental faculty member.

Please review the rest of our website for answers to frequently asked questions and other important information you will need to know about participating in the ceremony. Graduate students are also encouraged to attend the University-wide Commencement ceremony, to be held on Saturday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Our graduate students provide countless hours of teaching, research, and service to our University, all while balancing your mental health and well-being, responsibilities, and personal endeavors.

As you reach this pinnacle in your graduate journey, know that our University, our state, and our world are enriched because of you. We are honored to gather and celebrate together.

Beth Mayer-Davis
Dean of The Graduate School

Hooding Ceremony Speaker: Dr. Angeli Achrekar

Dr. Angeli AchrekarAngeli Achrekar ('13 DrPH) is the Deputy Executive Director of the Programme Branch at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Prior to joining UNAIDS in January 2023, Ms. Achrekar served as the Principal Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Over the past 20 years with the U.S. government and PEPFAR, she has held prominent positions helping to lead the largest global health effort of the U.S. government to ensure life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services to millions of people around the globe and strengthen health and community systems across 50 countries.

She is a passionate public servant, dedicated to advancing global health and development, across sectors, especially for women and girls. Angeli brings to the position extensive leadership and management experience in HIV/AIDS and public health. Over the years, she has helped evolve the program for more person-centered care, protecting and increasing HIV/AIDS gains while also capacitating countries for broader healthcare delivery. Her deep program, policy and partnership development experience at the global and country levels has cultivated strong multi-sectoral partnerships for large-scale and transformational impact, fundamental to ending the AIDS pandemic.

She holds a Doctorate of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Public Health from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Angeli is married and the mother of beloved twin daughters. She loves poetry and nature. An unrelenting champion for health and rights for all, she believes in the power of service and partnership for change.

Student Instructions

All May 2024 doctoral candidates, as well as 2023 August and December graduates, will receive an email invitation to the hooding ceremony in mid- to late February 2024. This email will be sent to your UNC-Chapel Hill email address (and/or personal email address) on record. August and December graduates should make sure to have an updated personal email address listed with the Office of the University Registrar through ConnectCarolina or records@unc.edu.

Please check all of your inboxes and folders in case the invitation is inadvertently directed to junk/spam folders. Please RSVP through the event registration system by March 31, 2024, with the name and email address of your hooding faculty.

If you have not received the invitation by March 15, 2024, please contact Kate McAnulty (kmcanulty@unc.edu), senior associate dean for student affairs.

Please note, if you do not successfully complete all your degree requirements to have your degree conferred at the ceremony, you will not be allowed to participate in the hooding ceremony. No exceptions will be made.

Hooding Faculty Selection

Students and advisors at Hooding Ceremony

Each doctoral graduate student will have the hood of the commencement regalia conferred by their adviser or other departmental faculty member. Please inquire as early as possible with your adviser whether they will attend the ceremony with you. If you have two faculty advisers, both can attend and hood you jointly.

If your faculty adviser is unavailable to attend the ceremony and confer your hood, you can request that another faculty member (preferably from your dissertation committee), your director of graduate studies, or your department chair confer your hood instead. The faculty member who confers your hood must be listed with The Graduate School as regular or fixed-term faculty.

If none of your faculty are available to confer your hood, the provost and the Royster Distinguished Professor will do so.

Please make sure that you and your hooding faculty have a clear plan of where to meet the morning of the ceremony. Given the heavy crowds as well as noise and visibility issues, we recommend a meeting location away from or even outside the entrance and check-in areas.

Day-of-Ceremony Instructions

Students applauding at a graduation ceremonyDoors open at 8:00 a.m. for students—enter through Entrance D and check in at the concourse level. You will be given a card that you must hold onto as it will be scanned as you approach the stage to be hooded. Once you receive your card, you should proceed to the lower level with your advisor. Please note, there will not be a processional.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

If you have borrowed a Federal Loan while attending Carolina, you must complete the Exit Counseling to learn about loan repayment. The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid will also notify you of this requirement via email.

If you have borrowed a Federal Perkins or Health Professions Loan or any long-term university loan, you must complete exit counseling by accessing the ECSI website. You may contact the University Cashier at loanrepay@unc.edu with any questions.

Student Regalia: Information and Deadlines

Student basic/keepsake black regalia will be available to purchase through Student Stores online beginning in early/mid-March, in-store (starting Thursday, March 21st through commencement weekend), and at the conGRADulations Fair on Wednesday, March 20th. These regalia are meant to be a cost-effective and eco-friendly option for graduating students (prices listed below). Please make sure to indicate whether you are a Ph.D., Ed.D., DNP, or DrPH student so that you can request the proper hood for purchase.

Detail of commencement ceremony regaliaCustom, more elaborate doctoral regalia (available in traditional black or in Carolina Blue) can be ordered in-store or by contacting graduation@store.unc.edu. Orders for custom regalia can be placed year-round and take 7-10 weeks to ship once ordered. For guaranteed delivery by Spring 2024 commencement, the order deadline is Friday, March 1, 2024.

Announcements

Custom commencement announcements can be purchased through Balfour.

Generic announcements in packages of 10 may be purchased at Student Stores.

Photography

Hooding Ceremony photographer in front of graduating student on stageProfessional photographers from GradImages™ will be at the ceremony to photograph each student as they receive their commencement hood. Free proofs will be sent to you and online viewing will be available. There are no fees for reviewing the proofs and there is no obligation to purchase photographs.

Every student who RSVPs through the event registration system will receive outreach from GradImages™ in advance of the ceremony. Please check all of your inboxes and folders in case the outreach is inadvertently directed to junk/spam folders.

Diplomas

If your department has a separate ceremony, check with your department to determine whether or not they intend to distribute diplomas at their ceremony. Diploma frames can be purchased at Student Stores.

Faculty Instructions

Faculty rental regalia is currently available for ordering through Oak Hall via Student Stores. The site will remain open through Wednesday, April 3rd, and the regalia will be available for pickup at UNC Student Stores starting the Monday of commencement week (May 6th). Payment is due at time of pickup, and the return deadline to have your items back in-store is Friday, May 17th.

For additional questions, contact the Student Stores graduation department at graduation@store.unc.edu.

Non-hooding faculty are invited to attend as a member of the general audience and will not participate in the academic processional. Seating will be reserved for faculty in Section 124.

Hooding Faculty

Hooding faculty should arrive at the Smith Center concourse level (Entrance D) to meet their students between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. You do not need to check in. Additional information will be provided by the Graduate School or by the degree candidate.

Please make sure that you and your students have each other's contact information so that you can coordinate where to meet the morning of the ceremony. Given the heavy crowds as well as noise and visibility issues, we recommend a meeting location away from or even outside the entrance and check-in areas.

Your student(s) will receive a name card at check-in which will later be scanned by a staff member prior to them going on stage. Please help us make sure that your student(s) does not lose that card over the course of the morning's activities.

As soon as you connect with your student, please proceed to the first floor (lower level) and take a seat with them. If you are hooding more than one student, make sure you are all sitting together.

At the end of the ceremony after the platform party recesses, students and faculty will be free to exit the floor and connect with family and friends. There is no recessional for students and hooding faculty.

Due to the timing of afternoon events in the Smith Center, staff will direct everyone off the floor and into the stands as soon as the ceremony is over.

Accessibility Services, Seating and Parking

Services for students, faculty, and guests with disabilities or medical conditions are available.

Accessible parking for guests is available in the Williamson Lot across the street from the Smith Center by presenting a disability permit/placard or license plate. The lot will be clearly marked with the appropriate signage. Golf carts will pick up guests needing assistance from the lot and drop them at Gate A.

Accessible seating is located all along the concourse level in the Smith Center. No ticket is required for seating. If you require other accommodations (interpreter services, more specialized seating, etc.) or if you do not have a disability permit/placard or license plate, please contact Commencement Accessibility Services at access@unc.edu.

Students and faculty who have accessibility needs should contact Commencement Accessibility Services (access@unc.edu) who will work with staff from The Graduate School and the Office of University Events accordingly to navigate ceremony details.

Parking Information

Students

Students do not have designated parking, so all guest parking lots (see below) can be used by students.

Faculty

Reserved parking for faculty and deans will be available either in the Smith Center Lot, behind the Koury Natatorium and the Smith Center, or in the top tier of the Manning Lot. If parking in the Smith Center lot, upon arrival, please pull up to the parking gate and advise the parking attendant of your name to gain complimentary access to the Smith Center lot.

Reserved parking for members of the platform party will be in the Smith Center Lot, behind the Koury Natatorium and the Smith Center.

Guests

Parking for guests will be available in most lots surrounding the Smith Center (map of these parking lots). They include: the Manning Lot (on Bowles Drive between the Smith Center and Family Practice), the Bowles Lot (on Bowles Drive behind Craige Residence Hall), and the Business School Deck.

Accessible parking is available in the Williamson Lot across the street from the Smith Center by presenting a disability permit/placard or license plate. Guests needing parking accommodations for the elderly and not having a disability permit, plate, or placard should contact Commencement Accessibility Services at access@unc.edu.

Guest Information

Family at Hooding CeremonyAll guests are welcome to attend the ceremony. No tickets are necessary and there is no restriction on the number of guests invited per each graduate.

Guests should arrive between 8:00 and 8:45 a.m. and enter the Smith Center at Entrance A. Please do not bring gifts into the Smith Center.

No refreshments will be available at the ceremony. Please bring water and stay hydrated, especially if it is hot outside that morning.

International Guests

Students and scholars who want to invite family members to visit the United States as tourists may use the information below to assist those family members in applying for a visa.

  1. View this document to learn how you can invite family members to the U.S. for your commencement ceremony.
  2. Request a graduation application confirmation letter from the Office of the University Registrar. Please email registrar@unc.edu requesting a letter of confirmation for graduation for your family’s visa.

Local Visitors Bureaus

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau and the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau websites provide information on local lodging, restaurants, scheduled events, shopping, tours, and area resources.

Venue

Dean E. Smith Center Entry Policy

All guests and their belongings are subject to screening by entry personnel. The following items will not be permitted in the Smith Center:

Water is permitted as no refreshments will be available at the ceremony.

Directions to the Dean E. Smith Center

Address: 300 Skipper Bowles Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514

From Virginia and points north

Take I-85 South to Durham. Exit left at US 15-501 in Durham and follow 15-501 approximately nine miles to Chapel Hill. Once in Chapel Hill, stay on US 15-501 Bypass (Fordham Boulevard). At around the seventh stoplight, turn right onto Manning Drive. The Smith Center is half a mile on the left on Skipper Bowles Drive.

From points west

Take I-85 North towards Durham. Exit just past Burlington onto NC 54 East (Exit #148, Chapel Hill Exit). Follow NC 54 for approximately 20 miles to Carrboro. Pass Carrboro Plaza on the right and stay on NC 54 for about four miles to the next stoplight, Manning Drive. Turn left on Manning Drive. The Smith Center is half a mile on the left on Skipper Bowles Drive.

From points east

Take I-40 West toward Chapel Hill. Exit at NC 54 West (Exit #273 A) and follow for approximately four miles. Once in Chapel Hill, continue to follow signs for NC 54 West, which means you will have to exit right under the first overpass. At the top of the exit turn right at the light. Follow NC 54 West/15-501 South until the second stoplight. Turn right onto Manning Drive. The Smith Center is half a mile on the left on Skipper Bowles Drive.

From points south

Take US 15-50 North toward Chapel Hill. Exit right onto US 15-501 Bypass in Chapel Hill. Turn left at first stoplight onto Manning Drive. The Smith Center is half a mile on the left on Skipper Bowles Drive.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Will the ceremony be livestreamed?

    Yes, the the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be livestreamed.

  2. What time do graduates need to arrive?

    Students and their faculty advisors should arrive starting at 8:00 and no later than 8:30 a.m. in full regalia. Students will need to pick up and hold on to their name cards, which will be scanned before they cross the stage, so that their names show up on the screen(s) overhead.

  3. Are tickets required for guests?

    No tickets are necessary and there is no restriction on the number of guests invited per graduate.

  4. When should guests arrive?

    Guests should arrive between 8:00 and 8:45 a.m. and enter the Smith Center at Entrance A where programs will be available. Please do not bring gifts into the Smith Center.

  5. How long does the ceremony usually last?

    The ceremony will last no later than noon.

  6. Will the names of graduates be announced?

    Audience at hooding ceremony

    Yes. Each doctoral graduate student who participates in the ceremony will be called to the stage to have the hood of the commencement regalia conferred by their adviser or other departmental faculty member.

  7. Who can hood graduates?

    Students should be hooded by their faculty adviser(s). If their faculty adviser(s) are unavailable, they can be hooded by another member of their committee and/or their program/department, such as their director of graduate studies or department chair. Students without available faculty will be hooded by the provost and the Royster Distinguished Professor. Students cannot be hooded by a non-faculty member, such as family, friends, or colleagues.

  8. Can students be hooded during this ceremony but not officially graduate until later this year?

    No. Only candidates who have met all degree requirements for this ceremony (and August and December graduates from the previous calendar year) will be hooded at this ceremony. If you officially graduate in a future semester, you will be invited to the following year's ceremony.

  9. Where do students, faculty, and guests park?

    Hooding Ceremony parking information

  10. Is there accessible parking?

    Accessible parking is available in the Williamson Lot across the street from the Smith Center by presenting a disability permit/placard or license plate. Guests who need accessible parking but not having a disability permit, plate, or placard should contact Commencement Accessibility Services at access@unc.edu.

  11. How do students find out if and when departments are having ceremonies?

    Please visit school and departmental ceremonies.

  12. Is there housing on campus for commencement weekend?

    No. Housing is not available on campus for parents and guests. A list of hotels in the area is available on the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau and the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau websites.

  13. How will I receive my diploma?

    At the end of June, your diploma will be mailed to your home address as listed in ConnectCarolina. If your department has a separate ceremony, check with your department to determine whether or not they intend to distribute diplomas at their ceremony. Diploma frames can be purchased at Student Stores. Diplomas will not be available for pick-up.

Livestream

The Doctoral Hooding Ceremony will be livestreamed.

Additional Resources

A crowd of doctoral graduates in academic regalia raise their arms and cheer at the end of the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony