2024 BUSSW Commencement
Boston University School of Social Work’s 2024 Commencement ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 16th at 3:00 p.m. (ET) at the Boston University Walter Brown Arena at 285 Babcock Street in Boston, Mass. The ceremony will be live-streamed for those who are unable to attend.
Please review the information below for further details.
Graduating students – keep an eye on your BU email for ongoing updates from the student services team. If you have any questions, please contact your program’s student services staff:
- On-Campus (Charles River) Program: sswoss@bu.edu
- Online Program: sswolp@bu.edu
- Off-Campus & Hybrid Programs: sswocp@bu.edu
- PhD Program: lyndseyk@bu.edu
Beginning in April, requests for accessible parking, seating, and individual services may be sent to Disability & Access Services. The event will be live-streamed with closed captioning for those who cannot attend. For the in-person ceremony, CART services will be provided and will be accessible on your mobile device.Accessibility
Key roles for the ceremony including the student speaker, faculty marshal, reader, and hooders are voted on by graduating students through a survey. The survey period is currently complete and students will be notified of the ceremony role selections later this spring.Ceremony Roles
BUSSW alumna Jackie Jenkins-Scott (MSW‘73), the interim president of Roxbury Community College, will be the featured speaker at this year’s BUSSW commencement ceremony for the Class of 2024. After joining Roxbury Community College in February 2023 as interim president, Jenkins-Scott immediately prioritized building a mission-driven culture aligned with RCC’s values, enhancing academic programs, and rebuilding relationships with community partners. Jenkins-Scott received her bachelor of science degree from Eastern Michigan University, a master of social work degree from BU School of Social Work, and she completed a postgraduate research fellowship at Radcliffe College. She holds honorary doctorates from Wheelock College, Bentley College, Mount Ida College, Suffolk University, and Northeastern University; and received an honorary doctor of law from the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2012.Commencement Speaker
Jackie Jenkins-Scott
Before joining RCC, Jenkins-Scott served as president of Wheelock College for 12 years. Under her leadership, Wheelock added new areas of study including cross-disciplinary and online programs; increased undergraduate enrollment by over 50 percent; and grew representation of students of color and students with disabilities by 40 percent.
In 1983, Jenkins-Scott became the president and chief executive officer of the Dimock Community Health Center (currently the Dimock Center) in Roxbury, Massachusetts, now one of the largest community-based health and human service organizations serving diverse, vulnerable populations.
A sought-after speaker and presenter, she is widely recognized as an innovative and transformational leader. Her first book, The 7 Secrets of Responsive Leadership, was released in February 2020.
When will my transcript show that I graduated? When can I request a certificate of completion? How do I request a certificate of completion? When can I request a certificate of graduation? I have questions regarding ordering my transcript and/or my diploma. Who should I contact? When will my diploma be mailed?Diploma & Transcripts
Diplomas & Transcripts FAQ
For those graduating in January it will appear on your transcript around 1/25, for those graduating in May it will appear around 5/20 and for those graduating in September it will appear on around 9/25 of the year you graduate. View the graduation calendar here.
Once you are designated an official graduate by the Registrar’s office, you can request a certificate of completion which states that you have completed all the requirements for the degree and your official graduation date. Once the graduation date has passed, your graduation information will appear on your transcript and you will be able to order a certificate of graduation.
A certificate of completion can be ordered by emailing or calling BU Office of the Registrar at registrar@bu.edu or 617-353-3612. As soon as you see all your grades posted on the Student Link under transcript preview, contact the School of Social Work Registrar at swreg@bu.edu to ensure that your degree your requirements have been met. Then the SSW Registrar can approve your
request for a certificate of completion to the University Registrar.
A certificate of graduation can only be obtained after the graduation date has passed. More information on how to order a certificate of graduation can be found here: bu.edu/reg/graduation/certificates-of-graduation/
Questions regarding ordering transcripts should be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at registrar@bu.edu or 617-353-3612. Transcripts can also be ordered on the Student Link. Those with questions regarding diplomas should email diploma@bu.edu or call 617-353-3604 or diploma@bu.edu. For more information, visit the University Registrar’s Diplomas & Graduation webpage and the Ordering a Transcript webpage.
For information on when your diploma will be mailed or when you can pick up, please visit the Office of the University Registrar’s Diploma Ordering/Mailing Schedule.
Download the Diploma & Transcript FAQ (PDF)
The Walter Brown Arena is a large space, so no tickets will be needed for your guests. There will be a light reception after the ceremony for all graduating students and guests. For Off-Campus (OCP), Worcester Hybrid (WHP), and Online (OLP) students, there will also be a pre-ceremony reception. Information will be sent regarding the pre-reception to OLP/OCHP students when it becomes available. Guests
If you and/or your guests need hotel accommodations, visit BU’s accommodations webpage here. For public transportation and parking information, please visit BU’s transportation page here. Various parking garages throughout campus may be utilized. All lots throughout BU have accessible parking for those with disabilities. The BU Shuttle service will provide free service for our guests. Updated in the spring semester, hours of operation and specific shuttle stops can be found on the Parking & Transportation website.Hotel Accommodations & Transportation
Information on how to livestream the ceremony will be posted here and emailed to all graduating students.Livestream
Photos of graduates crossing the stage are taken by GradImages, a vendor managed by BU. Please refer to the information on the central BU Commencement website here for details on how to purchase the images. If you have any questions, please contact GradImages directly using the contact information listed on the page, or contact BU Commencement at commencement@bu.edu. Additional photography will be taken by the BU School of Social Work and will be shared on the School’s website and social media channels for promotional purposes. If you have questions about this photography (all photos excluding the GradImages photos taken when you crossed the stage), please email bussw@bu.edu. Video of the ceremony will be shared online during the event. Please note that due to BU privacy protocols, there will not be a recording and student names will not be shared in event materials, with the exception of those selected for ceremony roles and awards and those receiving doctoral degrees.Photography & Video
Photography
Video
All student regalia (caps, gowns, and BUSSW MSW hoods) are ordered through the BU Bookstore online through Herff Jones. You can find more info here. March 25: Order your Cap & Gown by March 25 for 0n-campus pickup option. Campus pickup orders will be available beginning May 6 at Barnes & Noble at Boston University. There is a $14.90 shipping charge for orders mailed to homes. April 1: Doctoral Candidates: All Cap & Gown orders must be placed by April 1. (Rental cap & gowns will not be available to order after April 1.) April 15: Bachelor & Master Candidates: Order your Cap & Gown by April 15 to receive for Commencement Weekend. (Cap & Gowns will not be available to order after April 15.) Orders must be placed online. It is highly recommended that all orders are placed as soon as possible. If you have any questions regarding regalia, please contact regalia@bu.edu.Regalia
DEADLINES FOR STUDENTS
2024 BU All-University Commencement
The 151st All-University Commencement Exercises will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 1 pm on Nickerson Field. BUSSW students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend but are not required. Please visit the BU Commencement webpage (bu.edu/commencement) or email commencement@bu.edu for details.