March 17, 2020

Provisional Spring 2020 Graduates,
Due to health concerns related to the coronavirus COVID-19 and recommendations by the University System of Georgia, ABAC has made the difficult decision to cancel commencement and graduation-related activities, including but not limited to Cap and Gown Day, graduation rehearsal, and academic pinning ceremonies, for the 2020 spring semester in Tifton and Bainbridge.

We are very proud of your accomplishments. The changes affecting the rest of this semester do not take away anything from what you have achieved.

Please continue to check your ABAC email and www.abac.edu/coronavirus for additional information related to graduation and coronavirus updates.

Fall commencement ceremony is Thursday, December 12, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. Graduates must check-in at Howard Auditorium between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.   Do not leave any personal belongings in the Auditorium. The Auditorium will be locked during the ceremony and no access will be available after the ceremony. The College will not be responsible for lost items.

Participation in the commencement ceremony does not denote official certification of the degree or certificate. Official certification of graduation is only made when all curriculum requirements have been satisfactorily addressed and recorded in the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation practice will be held for all graduates participating in commencement on Wednesday, December 11,2019, at 4:00 p.m. starting in Howard Auditorium and finishing in Gressette Gym.

Purchase your cap and gown from the ABAC Stallion Shop.  Don’t wait until the last minute – make you purchase today if you have not already done so! Be sure you try on your gown before the day of commencement to ensure it fits.

Bring everything with you when you come to Howard Auditorium: cap, gown, and tassel. Your tassel should hang on the right side of your cap.

Women, please wear a dark outfit and dark shoes. For your safety, please do not wear sandals or extremely high heels.

Men, please wear a white shirt, dark slacks and shoes.

Honor cords for the ceremony will be handed out during check-in to the students who are eligible based on their overall GPA for the previous semester. However, please note that honors appearing on the diploma and transcript will reflect all work attempted, including final grades in your graduation semester. If you have questions about your honors status for the ceremony, please visit the Office of the Registrar in the Lamar Branch Student Center. No information on honors status will be provided by telephone.

Questions about Caps and Gowns? E-mail bookstore@abac.edu or Call 229-391-4825

Due to growing numbers of graduates and guests, we have out grown Gressette Gymnasium, and the ability to meet and remain compliant with the fire code.  In order to accommodate these growing numbers, students participating in graduation will be allotted tickets for guest admission to the commencement ceremony.  This will also ensure that each graduate’s family and friends will have equal opportunity to attend this important ceremony.  If you do not need all allotted tickets, please be considerate of the other graduates and do not take all tickets. Children 3 years old and under will not need a ticket.

Tickets can be picked up in the ABAC Stallion Shop through Friday before Graduation. The Stallion Shop is open Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 pm. and Friday 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.   If you do not claim your allotted tickets by Friday before Graduation, you will lose your opportunity to claim them. Any tickets not picked-up by that date will be entered into a lottery of extra tickets. The number of tickets each graduate receives is determined by the total number of graduates. It ranges from four to seven. The number will be communicated via email closer to the ceremony.   Remaining tickets will be available on a first come first serve basis on Monday before Graduation, at 8:30 a.m. in the front lobby of Tift Hall.  You MUST have indicated you are participating in the Commencement Ceremony and present your ABAC Gold Card to pick-up tickets.

Professional pictures of the ceremony will be provided by Wes Sewell Photography. To view your photos, visit www.wessewellphotography.com.

If you are interested in purchasing a video of the ceremony, contact Tom Grant at tgrant@abac.edu for more information.

Guests should have tickets in hand when they arrive at Gressette for the ceremony. Seating is not assigned by ticket and is on a first come first serve basis. Remember that even if you have a ticket, anyone that arrives after the processional has begun will not be admitted. So arrive early and find a seat.

Parking is available in the south parking lot, which is located off of Davis Road. Handicap Drop off/Pick-up is available behind Gressette Gymnasium on Rotunda Place. Designated Handicap parking is available behind the J. Lamar Branch Student Center.

Graduation candidates with special needs must contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 229-391-5055 no later than Friday, November 29 or May 1 so that accommodations can be made.

The Bainbridge Graduation ceremony will be held in the Kirbo Center Auditorium on Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m.

Graduate check-in for the ceremony will be in the Kirbo Center Dining Room at 6 p.m. that night.

Graduation practice will take place on Thursday, December 12 at 10 a.m. in the Kirbo Center Auditorium.

Further information regarding the ceremony will be communicated to graduates via email.

For more information, contact Robert Thompson at robert.thompson@abac.edu or 229-243-3016.

You do not receive your diploma at commencement. Diplomas will be mailed approximately three to four weeks after the ceremony to your permanent address as noted in Banner Web. To ensure your diploma is directed to the correct address, make sure this address is correct in Banner Web.  If you have any outstanding obligations to the college, these obligations and holds MUST be cleared before your diploma and/or transcript is mailed. You may check your account for holds and obligations by:

• Visit http://www.abac.edu/MyABAC
• Click on Login to MyABAC
• Click on ABAC – Banner
• Provide your credentials to login
• Click on Stallion Status

If you need proof of graduation before your diploma is available, please request an official transcript. When submitting your request, select the “Hold for Degree” option.

Participation in commencement does not denote official certification of a degree or certificate. Official certification is only made when all curriculum requirements have been satisfactorily addressed and recorded in the Registrar’s Office.

If you are completing graduation requirements at another institution – to participate in ABAC’s graduation ceremony, the ABAC Registrar’s Office must receive the graduation application one week prior to the graduation ceremony. You must also have the other institution send an official copy of the transcript to ABAC at registrar@abac.edu by the following dates.

Fall graduation: January 15
Spring graduation: May 30
Summer graduation: August 15