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Congratulations!  Your college student has worked hard, you’ve stood by and supported him, and he’s almost made it to the finish line.  Commencement is around the corner.  But what if he’s almost there, but not quite?  Does that mean that participating in graduation ceremonies is out of the question?  Or that he’ll need to wait another year?  The answer is – that depends.  It depends on what your student still has left to do, and it depends on the college or university policy.

Each college establishes its own policy regarding who may participate in commencement ceremonies.  Some institutions will allow students to participate if they are within a very few credits of completion, and other schools will not allow students to participate until they have completed all requirements.  In some cases, it may depend on how soon the next ceremony may be.  Schools that have only one graduation ceremony a year, rather than an additional summer or winter ceremony, may be more willing to allow a student to participate if he is close to finishing.  Most likely, a student would need to be within three to six credits of completing his degree.

If your student is close to the completion of her degree, she should definitely check her school’s policy.  There may be a formal policy, or permission may be granted at the discretion of the Dean or Provost.

Depending on school policy, your student may need to complete all graduation applications, audits, etc.  He may need to be registered for his final credits or at least show proof that he will finish in a timely manner.  Usually no honors are conferred on students who have not completed all coursework.

If your student’s school does allow students to “walk” at graduation, she will likely receive her diploma folder, but will receive the actual diploma later. The commencement audience, howe

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I live in an exceptionally beautiful part of Lyon called Croix-Rousse! Thereʼs a farmerʼs market every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and itʼs the most wonderful farmerʼs market you could ever go to! There are wonderful fruits and vegetables, of course, but there are some vendors who also sell beautiful clothing, pottery, jewelry, and other handmade creations. I can spend a whole weekday morning just wandering around the wonderful stands (and I have spent many weekday mornings doing just that!).

If you meander through the market and end up near the Metro station, youʼll also reach a great viewing point where you can sit on a bench and look out at all of Lyon. I like to bring a book and some of my notes from class and just eat one of the fresh apples from the farmerʼs market. I also like to buy a baguette and some “jambon” (ham) and make sandwiches for lunch every week. I eat ver Read more…

EVANSVILLE — As the top security official for Evansville’s public schools, Gerald Summers must be ready for any scenario at any time.

Take Tuesday, for instance. Summers was in touch with eight schools on city’s North and West sides, which were locked down during a lengthy police pursuit of a fugitive.

In Summers’ seven years with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp., he said the most schools on simultaneous lockdown before Tuesday was about five.

Gerald Summers, safety and security coordinator for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.

Summers, who is among about 12 finalists for the 2011 Campus Safety Director of the Year award from Campus Safety Magazine, said preparedness and quick thinking are critical to his job.

A variety of personal and professional experiences got Summers ready for the job. H

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Building on Occidental College’s century-old ties with China, Occidental President Jonathan Veitch and Chancellor Yingxing Hong of Nanjing University signed an agreement today to promote the exchange of students, faculty, and teaching and research materials.

“An Occidental delegation will be flying to Nanjing next week to explore a possible collaboration on environmental issues with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, so we will be wasting no time in seeking to deepen our ties with this outstanding university,” said Occidental President Jonathan Veitch, who met with Chancellor Hong in Nanjing last May.

“This agreement will make it possible for Nanjing University, as one of the top-ranked institutions of higher learning in China, to enhance its partnership with Occidental College and promote academic and cultural exchanges among the faculty and students,” said Chancellor Hong, a prominent economist who earlier this week spoke at Brown University.

Occidental’s engagement with China dates back to 1916 when the college entered into its first overseas study program with Hangchow Christian College.

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“It’s decision time for high school seniors who’ve applied to college and received acceptance letters. And as tuition levels rise, especially at top-level private schools, a growing number of financial experts are warning students to steer clear of student loan debt.”

Yesterday’s Talk of the Nation on NPR featured guest host Lynn Neary moderating questions about families figuring out how they will pay for college. The questions were answered by the two guest experts. The guests were Jacques Steinberg, an education reporter for the New York Times, and Alisa Cunningham, vice president of research and programs at the Institute for Higher Education Policy. A ke

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