Commencement for faculty and staff
2025 ceremony details
- When: Friday, June 13, 2025
- Time: 7pm (arrive between 5:30pm and 6pm, unless volunteering)
- Where: Memorial Coliseum – Portland, Oregon
Public parking at the Coliseum is $10.00 - How to participate: RSVP to the ceremony by April 18.
- If you don’t already have your own, you can also order your rental regalia for the 2025 Commencement ceremony on the RSVP form. We will order your cap, gown, and hood that is specific to your credential, discipline, and institution at no cost to you. Once the regalia is delivered to PCC, you will be able to pick it up at your campus. At the end of the ceremony, you will leave the rental regalia at the Coliseum for Jostens to pick up.
Face masks are not required while attending the commencement ceremony. However, we ask that our community respect the choice of those who keep their masks on. We also request that everyone respect the choice of others who do not wish to wear a mask.
Volunteer
We are gearing up for a fantastic ceremony and we need your help.?Sign up to volunteer for one or more of the positions below.
Volunteer opportunities
| Volunteer Opportunities | Tasks | Physical Demands | Time Commitment | Dress Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-ceremony Set up | Help set up the exhibit hall and courtyard at the Coliseum the morning of the ceremony. Signage, flags, name card tables, graduate line-up area, and stage set up. | Reaching or climbing ladders to hang signage, bending, walking | 10:00am – 2:00pm | Comfortable clothes with volunteer T-shirt |
| Student Marshal | Coordinate a row of candidates in the Exhibit Hall, into the bowl, and up to cross the stage. Provide important information to candidates before the ceremony | Stand/sit for four + hours | 2:45pm – 9:30pm | Regalia |
| Accessibility Marshal | Support students with disabilities during the graduation ceremony. This may include lining up and waiting to enter the auditorium, accessing the stage, crossing the stage before or after receiving their diploma, and returning to their seats. | Stand/sit for four + hours | 4:45pm – 9:30pm | Regalia or black clothing is required. |
| Faculty/Staff Marshal | Coordinate a row of faculty and staff in their line-up room, and into the bowl. | Walk, guide, and stand for extended periods of time | 6:00pm – 9:30pm | Regalia |
| Name Card Runner | Help triage students with the late add room. | Walking, standing for 3+ hours | 4:45pm – 8:00pm | Comfortable clothes with volunteer T-shirt |
| Check-in Name Card Tables | Set up Check-in Stations Process Check-in Hand over Name Cards Directing Candidates to the lineup. Help tear down Ex hall/Courtyard” after the ceremony begins |
Sitting and standing and communicating in a loud environment | 4:45pm – 8:00pm | Comfortable Clothes with a Volunteer T-shirt |
| Guest Ambassadors/Program Distribution | Welcome families and friends and help them get to where they need to go in the Coliseum. Hand out programs to guests as they enter the Coliseum. | Stand/sit for 2 hours. | 4:45pm – 8:00pm | Comfortable shoes Volunteer T-shirt |
| Information Table for Students | Provide general information to candidates in the Exhibit Hall and also provide small supplies such as bobby pins, etc. | Sitting for 4 hours | 4:45pm – 7:00pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
| Traffic Flow for Students | Help candidates in the Exhibit Hall get where they need to go. Tear down Ex hall/Courtyard” after the ceremony begins. | Walk most of the time in a concrete surface, bend, reach, and pull. | 4:45pm – 8:30pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
| Fun Stop | Help the Advancement Department provide candidates with fun activities | standing/sitting 2+ hour | 4:45pm – 7:30pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
| Room Monitor | Monitor personal belongings in Faculty and Rostrum Rooms | standing/sitting 2+ hour | 5:30 pm – 9:30pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
| Projection/ Equipment Monitor | Monitor projection equipment area behind the stage to keep free of people before and during the ceremony. Assertive volunteers are needed. These volunteers will not be able to view the ceremony | standing/sitting 4+ hour | 4:45pm – 9:30pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
| Poppe |
|
Standing and walking for three hours.? Ability to wear and perform in a full-body costume for extended periods. Visibility is limited | 4:45pm – 7:15pm | The outfit will be provided on Commencement Day |
| Poppe’s assistant |
|
Standing and walking for three hours. | 4:45pm – 7:15pm | Volunteer T-shirt |
There is no rehearsal ceremony and you will be given additional information in the weeks leading up to the ceremony and again on the big day. If you anticipate volunteering as a student or faculty marshal, please order regalia. All other volunteers do not need to wear regalia.
What can I bring to the ceremony?
To help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, we kindly ask that you please follow the guidelines below during your visit to the Memorial Coliseum:
- Valuables: For your safety and peace of mind, we recommend leaving valuables at home, as there are no secure storage options available. Please keep any items you bring with you in the auditorium.
- Changing Areas: Please note that there are no changing facilities available at the venue.
- Prohibited Items: To maintain a comfortable environment, food, drinks, gift baskets, presents, and helium balloons are not permitted inside the facility.
- Bag Policy: For increased security, we have a strict bag policy. Only bags measuring 12′′ x 12′′ x 6′′ or smaller will be allowed into the venue. Larger bags will need to be returned to your car before entering.
Take the shuttle to commencement
On the day of commencement, parking will be complimentary at the PCC Cascade Campus. In addition, Parking and Transportation Services will provide free shuttle service from Cascade to the Memorial Coliseum. Friends and family are welcome to ride!
Shuttles will begin departing from Cascade at 4pm and will run approximately every 20 minutes. They will continue to operate for 45 minutes after the ceremony concludes.