• 117th Commencement – May 2024
  • CCA is celebrating the following students as members of the Class of 2024:
    • Degree Recipients: Fall 2023
    • Anticipated Degree Recipients: Spring 2024 & Summer 2024
  • Seats have been reserved for eligible students who completed the Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form) and indicated they plan to participate in the ceremony.
• Annual Ceremony
  • CCA hosts commencement once a year in May. The Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony and the Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony are held on the same day.
• Dual Degree Students
  • Participating in the Ceremony:
    • Students in dual degree programs are invited to participate in one commencement ceremony after completion of all requirements for both degrees.
  • Attending the Ceremony:
    • At the end of their second year, dual degree students may request a ticket to attend the ceremony as a guest the year prior to their own commencement.
  • Questions about dual degrees? Please contact GraduateAffairs@cca.edu for additional information.

• All eligible students were required to complete their Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form) by the deadline to provide important ceremony information:
  • Opt in or out of participating in the ceremony
  • Share how to publish your name
  • Request tickets for the ceremony
  • And more!

• Saturday, May 11, 2024
  • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
    • 10:00 a.m. – Student Check In Begins & Doors Open for Guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 11 a.m.
    • 11:00 a.m. – Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 12:00 p.m.)
  • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
    • 2:00 p.m. – Student Check In Begins & Doors Open for Guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 3 p.m.
    • 3:00 p.m. – Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 4:30 p.m.)

• Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
    • Ticketed Guests: Enter through the main doors on Hayes Street
    • Students & Faculty: Enter through the driveway on Franklin Street

• Seats have been reserved for students who completed the Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form) by the deadline and indicated they plan to participate in the ceremony.
• Eligible students who plan to participate in the ceremony do not need a commencement ticket – only your guests need tickets.
• Unless the Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form) was submitted by the deadline, we cannot guarantee seats will be available for eligible students and their guests.

COMMENCEMENT TICKET REQUESTS

• All eligible students were able to request guest tickets when submitting their Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form). Students had the option of requesting up to 4 complimentary guest tickets. Students also had the option of being added to a wait list for additional tickets ($2 each). Please note that the availability of extra tickets is limited and not guaranteed.
• If you are interested in attending the ceremony as a guest, please connect with your student to discuss whether they are planning to participate, whether they have completed their Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form), and whether they picked up their tickets.

COMMENCEMENT TICKET POLICIES

• Only ticketed guests will be allowed to enter the commencement venue, and only students eligible to participate in the ceremony are allowed to request tickets. Students who request tickets decide who to invite.
  • Exception: At the end of their second year, dual degree students are allowed to request a ticket to attend the ceremony as a guest the year prior to their own commencement.
• Tickets are assigned to specific seats.
  • Please read your tickets carefully – some parties will be seated in multiple sections depending on ticket availability at the time tickets are picked up.
  • Please note: All even-numbered seats are on one side of the theater, and all odd-numbered seats are on the other side of the theater. If seats are side-by-side, their numbers will skip one (e.g., 1, 3, 5 or 2, 4, 6).
• Without tickets, guests will not be admitted to the theater.
  • Exception: Small children under age 2 do not need tickets if they will be seated on someone's lap.
• For students with more guests than tickets, we will be recording both commencement ceremonies and making the recordings available in CCA's Vault. An email will be sent out to the commencement class with information about how guests can log in and view the ceremonies.

COMMENCEMENT TICKET PICK UP

• Commencement tickets were available for pick up in person on campus on designated days during the spring semester. Tickets could be picked up by the participating student who requested them or by another designated person.
  • Only students who completed the Commencement Questionnaire were eligible to pick up guest tickets.
• Standby Tickets – Arrive early if you need additional guest tickets!
  • Although tickets are no longer available for pick up on campus, there will be a limited number of standby tickets available at the theater on the day of the ceremony.
  • Standby ticket sales for each ceremony will begin when doors open for guests: 10 a.m. for master's tickets and 2 p.m. for bachelor's tickets.
  • Standby tickets will be $2 each. Please plan to pay by credit card.
    • As a reminder, each participating student was eligible to request 4 complimentary allotted tickets by completing the Commencement Questionnaire before the extended deadline. Any additional tickets (whether purchased during Extra Ticket Pick Up on campus or as standby tickets at the theater) are $2 each.
  • Standby tickets are first come, first served.
    • Though we expect to have seats available for both the bachelor's and master's ceremonies on Saturday, May 11, 2024, quantities are limited, and we cannot guarantee seats will be available for guests without reserved tickets.
  • Participating students can designate guests to pick up standby tickets if tickets are available.
    • If you would like your guest(s) to be able to pick up and pay for their own ticket(s), please email us their name(s) by 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024, so we can add them to the list of guests eligible to request tickets at Will Call.
    • Guest tickets for guests who are not on the Will Call list must be picked up by the student requesting them.
• Lost tickets cannot be replaced. Please continue to look for your original tickets. If you cannot find them, a limited number of standby tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis for $2 each (credit card payments only) at the venue, and you are welcome to purchase replacements if tickets remain available.

• Location: Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
• Directions:
  • Please visit the Sydney Goldstein Theater website to learn more about how to get there.
• Transportation:
  • Driving in San Francisco can be a challenge, and we strongly recommend alternatives:
    • Public Transportation:
      • BART
      • MUNI
    • Rideshare Services:
      • Lyft.com
      • Uber.com
• Parking:
  • If you are driving, please plan to arrive early – driving and parking in San Francisco usually take longer than expected. Consider reserving a spot in advance using a parking app:
    • SpotHero.com
    • ParkMe.com

To help preserve the beautiful and historic Sydney Goldstein Theater, please respect these theater policies:

• No flowers or balloons are allowed inside the theater.
  • Since we understand that flowers and balloons may be traditional acknowledgements, please be mindful of these considerations:
    • If you plan to give your student flowers or balloons, please consider presenting them before or after the ceremony.
    • If flowers or balloons are brought to the theater, guests will be asked to leave them in their car or leave them in the lobby.
      • In our urban environment, we discourage leaving items that attract attention and items of value in unattended parked vehicles, and we cannot guarantee that flowers or balloons left in the lobby will still be there at the end of the ceremony – neither CCA nor the venue is liable for lost, stolen, or damaged items.
• No food or beverages are allowed inside the theater.
  • Water is available in the lobby.

• Sydney Goldstein Theater's COVID protocol follows San Francisco Department of Public Health guidelines and/or requirements of the featured guests. At this time, masks are encouraged but not required. Additionally, we will continue to follow CDC guidelines and local health directives. Currently, vaccination status will not be checked at the venue.

• Closed captioning will be provided.
• Service animals are welcome in the theater.
• Commencement is an important part of a student's educational experience, and we want to make sure all students can fully participate. In some cases, special arrangements may need to be made for alternate routes to the stage, alternate seating, etc. With appropriate notice, reasonable accommodations may be made.
  • If you are a student who needs accommodations to fully participate in the ceremony, please please contact access@cca.edu with a description of your need after you complete your Commencement Questionnaire (Google Form).

• Closed captioning will be provided.
• Service animals are welcome in the theater.
• A limited number of spaces are available for guests who will need to sit in their wheelchairs / motorized scooters during the ceremony.
  • Guests: If you are a guest who needs a special accommodations ticket, please communicate with your student to make sure they requested one.
• To fully appreciate the ceremony, some guests may need other accommodations (e.g., seating appropriate to crutches, a walker, etc.). With appropriate notice, reasonable accommodations may be made.
  • Guests: If you are a guest who needs an accommodation, please communicate with your student to make sure they requested appropriate seating.
• For guests who receive a special accommodations ticket, staff will be available in the theater lobby to guide you and a companion with a regular ticket to your seats.
• Please note: loge and balcony seating requires climbing stairs – orchestra seating does not.

• Small children under age 2 do not need tickets if they will be seated on someone's lap.

• Stroller parking will be available near the lobby. Please ask a staff member for assistance at the venue.

• During the commencement ceremony, a professional photographer from GradImages will take portraits of participating students. After the ceremony, these formal photos will be available for purchase from GradImages. If students are interested in purchasing photos, students will have an opportunity to provide their contact information to GradImages during student check in on the day of the ceremony. There is no obligation to purchase photos.

• We will be recording both commencement ceremonies and making the recordings available in CCA's Vault. An email will be sent out to the commencement class with information about how guests can log in and view the ceremonies.
• The ceremony will not be live streamed.

As part of CCA's commitment to sustainability, the programs for both commencement ceremonies can be found on cca.edu. Check out the Class of 2024 Commencement pages for the Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony program and the Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony program, including our degree candidates' names and information about our honorary doctorate recipients, distinguished alumni speaker, student speakers, alumni video, and more.

• Please note: Some students' names may not appear because they opted out of having their names published publicly when completing the Commencement Questionnaire. If students opted to have their names published, they appear as requested. If students did not complete the Commencement Questionnaire, their preferred names from Workday were published.

Tag us in all of your posts using @cacollegeofarts and #CCArts, so we can regram and retweet!

• View culminating and capstone student projects in the 2024 Showcase.
  • Please note: Participation in the 2024 Showcase was optional.
• Learn more about end-of-year celebrations and exhibitions.

• Celebrating the unique identities of our CCA community, we encourage participating students to wear whatever feels celebratory and authentic to you for the commencement ceremony. Please review Commencement Attire for options.

• Staff will be available at the venue to answer your questions and provide instructions throughout the ceremony.
• There is no rehearsal for students participating in the ceremony, except the student speakers.

• Student check in begins one hour before the ceremony starts. Please plan to arrive in plenty of time for student check in – students will enter the theater in a procession, and it takes time to organize everyone.
  • Saturday, May 11, 2024
    • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
      • 10:00 a.m. – Student Check In Begins & Doors Open for Guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
        • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
      • 11:00 a.m. – Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 12:00 p.m.)
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 11 a.m.
    • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
      • 2:00 p.m. – Student Check In Begins & Doors Open for Guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
        • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
      • 3:00 p.m. – Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 4:30 p.m.)
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 3 p.m.

• Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
    • Ticketed Guests: Enter through the main doors on Hayes Street
    • Students & Faculty: Enter through the driveway on Franklin Street

• Please bring your CCA ID to check in.
• Remember your tickets if you have not already given them to your guests.
• Please leave personal items at home or with your guests for safekeeping.
  • Any items you bring with you will need to be carried during the procession. After crossing the stage for the conferring of degrees, students will not return to their original seats.
• Joy, humor, sense of accomplishment, curiosity, and patience.

• Staff will confirm your name on the eligibility list and give you a name card to complete.
• If you would like to have the option to purchase professional photos, please add your email address and mailing address to the name card, so the photographer can send you proofs and purchasing options. Please Note: There is no obligation to purchase photos.
• If you are the first or last student in line with your degree cohort, you will be handed an additional card indicating your degree and your position in line (e.g., first or last). Please hold onto the card to hand to the staff backstage before you cross the stage – staff rely on the cards to announce students' degrees.

• At the beginning of the ceremony, students will enter the theater in a procession after guests are seated. The procession is organized the degree (e.g., BArch, BA, BFA; MArch, Dual Degree: MBA & MFA, MBA, MDes, Dual Degree: MA & MFA, MA, MFA).
• To see who will be speaking, learn about the alumni video, and find your name on the list of students being celebrated, review the ceremony programs:
  • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
  • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
    • Please note: If students requested that their names not be published publicly, they will not appear in the online programs.
• During the conferring of degrees, staff will guide students onto the stage. Celebrating the individuality and diversity of our CCA community, each student will say their own name before crossing the stage to shake hands with the president and have their photo taken.
• After crossing the stage, staff will guide students back to their seats – please note that you will be returning to a different seat than you were in originally.
• At the end of the ceremony, students will leave the theater in a procession. After the procession has left the theater, students will be able to meet up with their guests.