From the outside, graduation looks simple: caps, gowns, a stage, and a tassel turn. But behind the scenes, college commencement preparation is far more complex than most people realize. What appears to be a single ceremony is actually the result of months of graduation planning, detailed coordination, and a dedicated university events team working to ensure students are honored well.
At Manna University, that work begins long before May.
Building the Team Behind the Scenes
While the bulk of the planning is led by the Academic Team, guided by the Executive Director of Academics, the Director of Student Services, Creative Team, and the Party Planning Committee (yes, there is ongoing discussion about renaming this to the Committee to Plan Parties) all play significant roles in bringing Commencement Weekend together. Together, this group functions as Manna’s university events team, coordinating everything from logistics to student recognition.
Where College Commencement Preparation Begins
The process begins early in the fall trimester. Emails are sent to the student body outlining graduation applications, deadlines, and eligibility requirements. From there, the registrar begins a continual review process to confirm that students have met all requirements for graduation. GPAs are evaluated to determine academic honors, designations such as military service are noted, and perhaps most importantly, we track who plans to attend commencement in person.
This is where college commencement preparation shifts gears from routine to detailed.
Planning a Two-Part Celebration
As May approaches, planning moves into a more focused phase. Because Manna University’s commencement spans an entire weekend, there are two distinct events to prepare for, each with its own purpose and tone.
The first is Chrio Convocation, held on Friday evening. As part of Manna University’s approach to graduation planning, this gathering is both ceremonial and intentionally intimate. It is a time of acknowledging graduates, bestowing honor cords, presenting hoods to our graduate and doctoral students, and recognizing those receiving institutional awards or being inducted into the Association for Biblical Higher Education’s honor society.
What follows is what truly sets this event apart: a time of intentional prayer over each graduate. Prayer group leaders, faculty, board members, and long-standing members of the Manna community, spend time in advance praying for the students they will lead. During Chrio, they pray with and over graduates as they transition from student leaders to graduates stepping into their God-given callings.
The Moment Everyone Sees
Saturday morning brings the culmination of years of work.
Graduates arrive, receive their regalia, and walk through the ceremony. There are photos with the president, final instructions, and quiet moments that carry more weight than expected. Then, for about an hour, they take their final steps as students before hearing the words they have been working toward: “You may turn your tassels.”
Simple in concept. Not simple in execution.
What Most People Don’t See
Behind the scenes of graduation, the level of detail is significant. The smallest elements are reviewed each year with the goal of ensuring that students are served and celebrated well. Academic records are double-checked. Names are verified repeatedly to avoid errors in programs and slides. Regalia orders are carefully managed so that each graduate receives the correct hood and attire. Awards and recognitions are coordinated to reflect both achievement and meaning.
Even the intangible details require attention. Gifts are selected with care — items that graduates will actually keep, not set aside. Prayer leaders are thoughtfully chosen. Programs, signage, and presentations are reviewed and revised more times than anyone would like to admit.
This is the reality of behind-the-scenes graduation work. It is equal parts logistics, communication, and intentionality.
Why It All Matters
The planning and execution of Commencement Weekend is an ever-evolving process. Each year brings adjustments, refinements, and new considerations. But the goal remains the same: to honor graduates, celebrate them well, and send them forward educated, equipped, and empowered to make an impact.
Behind every tassel turn is a team committed to making that moment meaningful.
And while most graduates will never see the full scope of what goes into college commencement preparation, that is exactly the point. When it is done well, all they experience is a moment worth remembering.
Jaemi Serrano, Registrar/Dir. of Special Learning Needs