The Business Administration Major Haas Commencement
2019 Undergraduate Commencement MOVED to the Haas School of Business.
Weather forecasts tomorrow morning indicate thunderstorms. The Greek Theatre cannot operate in severe weather. As a matter of safety, we have moved commencement to the Haas School. We’ve looked across campus and there are no available facilities that can accommodate a group of our size under such short notice.
Therefore, we will make it work at Haas! Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding as we adapt to these less than ideal circumstances.
Please see the PDF below for details on commencement seating, viewing, and the reception.
Commencement at Haas (pdf)
Participating in the Ceremony
Date: Sunday, May 19, 2019 at 9 AM
Location: Haas School of Business
GRADUATES DO NOT NEED TICKETS. Graduates need to arrive by 8 AM.
Length: The ceremony will last approximately two hours.
Commencement is scheduled rain or shine.
Commencement Speaker
Faculty member and Haas alumnus Stephen Etter, BS 83, MBA 89, will serve as our 2019 Commencement speaker. In addition to a 30-year career working in private equity and serving as one of the founding partners at Greyrock Capital Group, Etter has been a professional faculty member in finance at Berkeley Haas for the last 24 years—48 consecutive semesters. He has twice earned the school’s prestigious Cheit Award for Teaching Excellence from his undergraduate students and once received the campus-wide UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award.
The Haas School of Business holds a commencement ceremony at the end of each Spring semester. Undergraduate Business Majors who are completing degree requirements in Spring or Summer are expected to attend the Commencement ceremony in the year in which they graduate. Majors who are completing degree requirements in Fall have the option of attending the ceremony the Spring semester before or after they graduate.
Students do not need to let the Undergraduate Program Office know if they are planning on participating.
All undergraduate students are also eligible for the university wide commencement in addition to the undergraduate commencement.
The gates to the Greek Theatre will open at 8 AM for families, guests and graduates. Families and guests need to enter through the North Gate and graduates need to enter through the South Gate. Families and guests in wheelchairs and that have difficulty climbing stairs should also enter through the South Gate.
Graduates should proceed to the back stage area to fill out a name card, specifying how they would like their names pronounced. The graduates will be in single file when they leave the back stage area and should stand next to the person they wish to sit with.
New this season, all patrons entering the Greek Theatre will be required to walk through metal detectors at the entrances to the venue. Please ensure that you arrive early enough to allow for this new security step and to ensure that you are in your seat and ready for the performance on time!
Please review this list of prohibited items (.pdf) before visiting the Greek Theatre.
A Reception will be held at the O’Donnell Courtyard at Haas immediately following the ceremony from approximately 10:30 to noon. Graduates may enter the Reception free by wearing your cap and gown. Guests should show their Commencement Program at the entrance to the Reception for admission.
A donation to Berkeley Haas in honor of your graduating student will be recognized on our Honor Roll of Donors displayed during the commencement reception at Haas immediately following the ceremony. This will include donors who give now or who have given to Haas or to UC Berkeley at any time during the past four years.
Gifts to Berkeley Haas from parents, alumni, students, and friends support our world-class faculty, student scholarships, career services, experiential learning opportunities, and much more. Thank you for embodying the “Beyond Yourself” Defining Leadership Principle!
Please make your gift by Sunday, May 12 to ensure you and your student are recognized on the Honor Roll of Donors.
Grad Images will be taking photographs before and after the ceremony; they will also photograph each graduate before they leave the stage.
Directions from points North of UC Berkeley
Take Interstate 80 west to University Avenue. Exit at University Avenue and drive east, towards the hills, until you reach Oxford Street. Make a left turn onto Oxford Street. Take Oxford Street to Hearst Avenue. Turn right onto Hearst Avenue. Take Take Hearst Avenue to Gayley Road. Turn right onto Gayley Road. As you continue on Gayley Road, you will see the Greek Theatre on your left hand side.
Directions from points South of UC Berkeley
Take either 101 north to Interstate 80 east or 880 north to Interstate 80 east. Exit at University Avenue and drive east, towards the hills, until you reach Oxford Street. Make a left turn onto Oxford Street. Take Oxford Street to Hearst Avenue. Turn right onto Hearst Avenue. Take Hearst Avenue to Gayley Road. Turn right onto Gayley Road. As you continue on Gayley Road, you will see the Greek Theatre on your left hand side.
Directions from points East of UC Berkeley
Take Highway 24 west to Telegraph Avenue. Exit at Telegraph Avenue and drive north until you reach Dwight Way. Turn right onto Dwight Way. Take Dwight Way to Piedmont Avenue. Turn left onto Piedmont Avenue. Stay on Piedmont Avenue until it becomes Gayley Road (just north of Bancroft Way). You will see the Haas School of Business on your left (one block north of Bancroft Way). On your right will be Memorial Stadium and Maxwell Family Field. As you continue on Gayley Road, you will see the Greek Theatre on your right hand side (one block north of the Haas School of Business).
Guests will need a credit card to pay for parking this year.
UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation Graduation Website
Maxwell Garage (New Privately Operated Stadium Structure)
The campus shuttle will not be scheduled to run on the day of our commencement.
Wheelchair and seating for guests with special needs (few or no stairs) is available in the Greek Theatre at all entrances. When your guest enters the Greek Theatre, they should ask an usher or staff member to escort them to the special seating area. One wheelchair is available in the Greek Theatre to transport guests with special needs to their seats. Due to space constraints, Cal Performances can only guarantee seating for one companion for each guest in the special seating area. Please note that although the Greek Theatre is a wheelchair accessible venue, it is large and steep and we recommend that guests needing extra assistance have an escort. Families and guests in wheelchairs and that have difficulty climbing stairs should also enter through the South Gate.
If your guest has a Handicapped Parking placard, parking is available for $10* (cash only) on a first come-first served basis in the Bowles Hall lot (adjacent to the South side of the Greek Theatre). If your guest does not have a Handicapped Parking placard, we recommend that you drop your guest off in the loading zone in front of the North entrance to the Greek Theatre on Gayley Road. This is the designated Handicapped entrance to the Greek Theatre. One wheelchair is available in the Greek Theatre to transport guests with special needs to their seats.
*Please note that these prices are subject to change.
Graduating students may request a visa support letter for family members traveling internationally to attend graduation. Once a request is submitted, our office will email you the letter within 10 business days.
The ceremonial scroll you receive at Commencement is not a diploma. Degrees take several months to process. Your diploma comes from the University and will not be available until approximately four months after your degree is completed. Your diploma will be automatically mailed to you when it becomes available, so please ensure that your permanent address is updated in CalCentral.
Details and the link to the Diploma request form are available here.
Information on ordering transcripts can be found here.
Video Recording of the 2019 Graduation Ceremony (Watch Live on 5/19/19 at 9am Pacific time or stream it afterwards)
You have 9 months after your degree is conferred to claim your email. We highly recommend that you wait until your CalCentral reflects your degree conferral to claim your email. You will get an error if you try to do it earlier than that.