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Hello Graduates,

Your big day is fast approaching and I’m sure you have some questions about the ceremony. Below you will find the details.  Feel free to share with your guests.

Graduation Logistics Information             

·         Doors to the Event Center open at 9:00 am (one hour prior to the ceremony start time).

·         Graduates will use the Auxiliary Gym entrance, located on the outside lower level on the right side as you face the building.  Follow the signs.

·         Make sure that you have your cap and gown and floor pass with you. Before arriving to the Event Center, please complete your information on the back of the floor pass. Do not fold or misplace the floor pass as your name has been pre-recorded and will be announced by scanning the barcode on this card.

·         There is no secure place to leave belongings inside the Event Center, and you will not be permitted to bring personal items onto the floor with you.  Make sure you leave belongings at home or with one of your guests prior to entering the building.

·         Once you enter the Event Center, proceed up the stairs (or use the elevator around the corner).

·         Once upstairs, there will be volunteers to assist you in finding your department and help you  line up

·         Graduates will process onto the Event Center’s arena floor about 20 min before the start of the ceremony.  There will be volunteers leading each line of graduates, please follow their direction. The graduates will be followed by Faculty and Staff and finally the Platform Party.

·         After remarks by several commencement speakers, graduates will be lined up to cross the stage, directed by volunteers.  Those seated on house-left will cross first and, when finished they will be followed by the graduates on the house-right side.

·         On-site professional photographers will take photos just prior to entering the event center floor and one of the hand shake.

·         You will use the side stairs to ascend to the stage, hand your card to the assistant for it to be scanned, and immediately walk to shake hands.  Use the stairs on the opposite side of the stage to exit the stage.

·         You will be directed back to the seating, although it may be a different chair.

·         Final remarks and the Alma Mater will conclude the ceremony.  The Platform Party recesses first, followed by the Faculty and Staff and finally the graduates.

·         As you exit the arena floor, you will be directed to the closest building exit. You can meet your friends and family members outside.  Plan a meeting location with your guests before you come.

Some Notes:

Every guest 12 months and older MUST have a ticket to enter the Event Center

Please make sure that you hang your gown up as soon as you get it to try and reduce any wrinkles

The ceremony is expected to last about 2 hours

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2020 OER Grant Program. For 2020, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant programs. Learn more below. 

Faculty OER Mini-Grant Program
The Faculty OER Mini-Grant Program supports faculty efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s 2-year and 4-year public higher education institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

The 2020 M.O.S.T. faculty mini-grants will provide recipients with unique opportunities to engage in communities of practice related to teaching with OER, creation of OER in high-need areas, and evaluation of OER use in relation to student success. 

Available grants for 2020:

• Adopt/Adapt OER ($1,000 grant + Participation in the M.O.S.T. Teaching Fellows Program);
• Create OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the M.O.S.T. Textbook Success Fellowship Program); and
• Evaluate OER ($3,000 grant + Dedicated Coaching)

Institutional OER Grant Program
The M.O.S.T. initiative is also seeking proposals for a new Institutional OER Grant Program, which supports strategic institutional efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s 2-year and 4-year public higher education institutions through more systemic incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice. 

For 2020, two institutions will be awarded $20,000 grants to support significant advances in OER adoption, scaling, and sustainability in support of student success. In addition, grantees will receive strategic planning and implementation support for their projects from M.O.S.T., as needed, in the form of consultations and regular check-ins. 

Institutions applying for these grants should be able to articulate a vision for how OER will help them achieve strategic goals and explain how the campus will nurture and sustain this next-level work after the funding period ends.

Access and Review Request for Proposals

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, February 28, 2020.  

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Informational Webinar
Join us on Thursday, January 23, 2020 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET for an Informational Webinar to learn more about the grant requirements and expectations for successful grants. We will also answer any questions about the grants at that time. Register for the Informational Webinar

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Please feel free to share this information with interested faculty and staff. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at most@usmd.edu. 

Thank you for your support in increasing access, affordability, and achievement for all Maryland higher education students through open educational resources (OER).