Commencement

Buffalo State College Bachelor's Academic Honors and Gold Honors Cord Policy

Date Established: December 2019

Categories: Graduation, Commencement Ceremonies

Responsible Offices: Academic Affairs, Registrar

Date Last Revised: December 2019

Policy Summary

The purpose of this policy is to state eligibility requirements for bachelor’s candidates to wear a gold honors cord at commencement according to the criteria for honors set by the Registrar’s Office and Directory of Policy Statements (DOPS). This policy also distinguishes between earning baccalaureate honors upon graduation (degree completion) and achieving honors recognition at the commencement ceremony. For bachelor’s students only. There are no honors designations at the graduate level.

Policy

Members of the graduating class who achieve honors as graduates or degree candidates according to the criteria set by the Registrar’s Office and stated in DOPS may be recognized at the commencement ceremony.

• Baccalaureate Academic Honors: An honors designation is awarded to bachelor’s graduates who achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 for all work completed at Buffalo State. Graduates with a cumulative average of 3.8 to 4.0 are designated summa cum laude; 3.65 to 3.79 are magna cum laude; and 3.5 to 3.64 are cum laude. A graduate must have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours at Buffalo State with a requisite number of final credits in residence to be considered for the honors designation. The honors designation is noted on the diploma and in the graduate’s transcripts once the Registrar has completed the degree audit and awarded the degree. An honors citation may be noted for spring degree candidates eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. Spring degree candidates with a minimum GPA of 3.5 who have completed or have in progress 60 credit hours at Buffalo State during the spring semester may be eligible. A final honors designation will be determined when the Registrar completes the degree audit and awards the degree. Students who have incomplete grades or grades of I, N, X, or U may not be considered for honors designation upon degree conferral nor honors citation at commencement.
• Gold Honors Cord: Members of the bachelor’s graduating class who are honors designation graduates or honors citation degree candidates based on their current GPA in their last completed term are invited to wear a gold honors cord at commencement to signify their academic achievement. They are also recognized in the commencement program. Wearing the gold honors cord is not required. There is no honors designation or citation at the graduate level.
• Background: This policy is intended to provide students, families, faculty, and staff one specific and convenient location defining baccalaureate academic honors and commencement. This policy concurrently specifies the requirements for both earning baccalaureate honors upon graduation and also eligibility to wear the gold honors cord at commencement and receive an honors notation in the commencement program. It provides clarity where there has been confusion on being recognized at commencement and the final honors designation upon degree completion.

Applicability: Undergraduate students, Registrar’s Office, Academic Affairs Commencement

Definitions:

Honors designation: baccalaureate academic honors earned according to the criteria set by the Registrar for all coursework at Buffalo State College and awarded upon degree completion.
Honors citation: For May bachelor’s degree candidates eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony and having academic honors in progress according to the criteria set by the Registrar’s Office and state in DOPS.

Responsibility:

Registrar’s Office: (designated staff may include registrar, graduation coordinator, diploma coordinator) manage processes to identify honors designation graduates and honors citation degree candidates for the current graduating class.
Academic Affairs: commencement director for academics utilizes data to inform students who are eligible to wear the gold honors cord at commencement and ensures the appropriate designations are listed in the commencement program.

Procedure

The Academic Affairs Office notifies members of the graduating class who are eligible to wear a gold honors cord at commencement. This is a separate communication from the commencement information mailing that the Academic Affairs Office sends to eligible participants’ permanent addresses in mid-spring semester from the Provost. Academic Affairs will also provide a gold honors cord eligibility list at the point of sale (Bookstore) for caps and gowns.

Related Information

Related Links:

Undergraduate Catalog: Dean’s Honors List/Part-Time Dean’s List
http://ecatalog.buffalostate.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/deans-honor-list

DOPS 1:16:06 Dean’s Honors List
http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/dops/policysect1/011606.pdf

Contact Information

Regarding Academic Standing

Office Name: Registrar’s Office

Office Address: Moot Hall 210

Phone: 716-878-4811

Fax: 716-878-2419

Website: https://registrar.buffalostate.edu

Email: regofc@buffalostate.edu

Regarding Commencement Ceremonies

Office Name: Academic Affairs Office

Office Address: Cleveland Hall 519

Phone: 716-878-5550

Fax: 716-878-5009

Website: https://commencement.buffalostate.edu

Email: chambepa@buffalostate.edu