Before medical students attend the university-wide commencement ceremony, they celebrate the academic achievement among peers from the College of Medicine. The same people that sat near them in lectures and bonded with them through clinical practice. Together, they walk across the Oval—recalling fond memories made at Ohio State—and head toward Mershon Auditorium.
The Ohio State University College of Medicine Convocation is the culmination of their hard work and dedication, celebrating the transformation of student to medical practitioner. It features an address by the professor of the year, who has been chosen for this highest teaching honor by the graduating class.
To place their hoods, students may choose a College of Medicine faculty member (MD/DO/PhD) or another physician who has been important in their choice to become a physician or who has helped them along the way. The placement of graduation hood symbolizes the additional effort put in by graduate students to continue their education after receiving their first academic degree.
Students can invite as many family and friends as they want to this important event. It’s always great to see the support our students have coming from all corners of the world.
More about graduation
The College of Medicine Convocation Day has various events scheduled throughout the day. Please be sure to check the Convocation Day schedule for more detailed information for each of the different events.
Schedule Overview
8:00 a.m. – Mandatory Hooding Rehearsal for Students at Mershon Auditorium
10:00 a.m. – Honors Celebration (by invitation only) at the Ohio Union
11:45 a.m. – Senior Barbeque Luncheon at the Hamilton Hall Quad
2:45 p.m. – Line-Up for Hooding Ceremony Procession at The Oval
3:30 p.m. – The Hooding Ceremony at Mershon Auditorium
6:00 p.m. – Reception at the Wexner Plaza adjacent to Mershon Auditorium
More detailed information about Convocation Day will be shared closer to the date of the event.
Regalia
When regalia is ready for pick up, the OSU Bookstore will send a detailed email with pick up instructions. If you have questions, about regalia, please contact the OSU Bookstore at osugrad@bncollege.com.
Hooding Rehearsal
Hooding rehearsal is at 8:00 a.m. and is MANDATORY for students (hooders and guests do NOT attend the rehearsal), YOU MUST BRING YOUR HOOD to rehearsal, and you can dress casual! During rehearsal you will receive your honor cord(s) (if applicable). After rehearsal, GHHS and AOA members will pick up a graduation gift from their respective honor societies. StuCo will have yearbooks available for pickup as well.
Honors Celebration
Graduates who have been selected for departmental honors and awards and who will be recognized during the Honors Celebration should have received an email invitation. The Honors Celebration is the only event that requires a RSVP, and you may invite guests to attend with you.
Senior Barbeque Luncheon
The Senior Barbeque Luncheon will take place at the Hamilton Hall Quad from 11:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Feel free to come and go as your schedule allows!
Line-Up Number
You will be sent a separate email with your line-up number the week of Convocation. Your number corresponds to the alphabetical order of the graduates participating in the ceremony. You will need your line-up number during morning rehearsal at Mershon Auditorium and for line-up on the Oval.
Procession Line-Up
Please report to the center of the Oval (across from the Faculty Club) by 2:45 p.m. for line-up. Please arrive dressed in your regalia (with your cords if you have them). Look for COM signage. The procession begins promptly at 3:15 p.m.
Convocation/Hooding Ceremony
The Hooding Ceremony will take place at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St. Doors opens at 2:30 p.m. for guest seating. Tickets are NOT required. New security measures have been implemented at Mershon Auditorium. There will be metal detectors at each entrance, and all bags brought in to the auditorium will be checked. We recommend encouraging your guests to not bring bags to Convocation to help streamline entrance to the auditorium.
Livestream
We encourage those unable to attend the in-person Convocation event to watch via livestream.
Accessibility
The main floor of Mershon Auditorium has wheelchair accessible seating available in the rear of the auditorium for guests with mobility-based needs and their companions. Please note that Mershon Auditorium does not have an elevator and the only access to the balcony is by stairs. To plan accessible seating in advance or make other accommodation requests, please contact the Mershon Accessibility Manager at accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890 as soon as possible. You can learn more information about accessibility at Mershon Auditorium.Family, loved ones and friends are invited to Doctoral Convocation on Thursday, May 2, 2024! There are various events throughout the day celebrating the Class of 2024, an overview of the schedule is provided below.
All are welcome to attend; no RSVP is required. There are no tickets for any of the events throughout the day. Students will be asked to provide an estimated guest count prior to Doctoral Convocation Day.
Schedule Overview
10:00 a.m. – Honors Celebration (by invitation only) at the Ohio Union
11:45 a.m. – Senior Barbeque Luncheon at Meiling Hall Plaza
3:30 p.m. – The Hooding Ceremony at Mershon Auditorium
6:00 p.m. – Reception at the Wexner Plaza adjacent to Mershon Auditorium
Parking
The various events occur in different locations across campus. Guests are welcome to park their car in a select location for the day or they can move their cars to be nearby each event’s location. Information for parking near all event locations is included below:
Special event parking will be available in the Ohio Union South Garage at 1759 N. High Street, south of Mershon Auditorium. For guests who need additional time or assistance, please utilize the circle drive in front of Mershon Auditorium (1871 N. High St.) to drop off these guests.
Livestream
We encourage those unable to attend the in-person Convocation event to watch via livestream.
Accessibility
The main floor of Mershon Auditorium has wheelchair accessible seating available in the rear of the auditorium for guests with mobility-based needs and their companions. Please note that Mershon Auditorium does not have an elevator and the only access to the balcony is by stairs. To plan accessible seating in advance or make other accommodation requests, please contact the Mershon Accessibility Manager at accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890 as soon as possible. You can learn more information about accessibility at Mershon Auditorium.Regalia
To participate in the hooding ceremony and/or commencement, the hood issuer must wear the following: doctoral gown, doctoral hood, and tam (with tassel). All components are rented. Your items will be shipped to you from our regalia distributor, Oak Hall. You will get a return shipping label in your package so that you can ship the rentals back to Oak Hall after the ceremony.
When regalia is ready for pick up, the OSU Bookstore will send a detailed email with pick up instructions. If you have questions, about regalia, please contact the OSU Bookstore at osugrad@bncollege.com.
Doctoral Convocation Line-Up
If you are joining the faculty procession: Please report to the center of The Oval (181 S. Oval Dr.) in your regalia by 2:45 p.m. for line-up. If there are changes to line-up and procession due to the weather, we will send an email with alternative directions.
If you are participating in the Hooding Ceremony (i.e. sitting on stage) but NOT processing across The Oval: Please arrive at Mershon Auditorium (1871 N. High St.) in your regalia by 3:00 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Please use the “Stage Door” Entrance on the High St. side of the building, next to the loading dock. Volunteers will direct you on how to join the processing faculty as they enter the auditorium and are seated on stage.
Highlights from Convocation
