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Governance Minutes Archive

February 5, 1992

                       University Commencement Committee

                                    Minutes

                               (Corrected Copy)

 

                               February 5, 1992

 

  MEMBERS PRESENT:   Alls, Barclay, Beach, Chiang, Comeaux, Drapeau, Eng,

  Gasper, Henneke, Johnson, Marchman, McKee, Musser, Nickerson, Smith, Speer,

  Sponenberg, Taylor, Tillar, Tlou, Wood, Kennedy, chair.

 

  Chair Kennedy called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. in 210 Burruss

  Hall.  The previously distributed agenda was amended to include a proposal

  for licensing diploma frames.

 

  INTRODUCTION OF NEW COMMITTEE LIAISON

 

  Cheryl Gasper, Facilities Coordinator in the Athletic Association, was in-

  troduced to the committee. She will serve as a liaison between the Com-

  mencement Committee and the Athletic Association to insure smooth

  scheduling of future commencement events in Cassell Coliseum and Lane Sta-

  dium.

 

  COMMENTS AND REACTIONS TO THE FALL COMMENCEMENT, 1991.

 

  It was reported that many favorable letters have been received in the Pres-

  ident's Office about the fall ceremony.  Reactions from around the campus

  have been equally congratulatory.  Criticisms came in the context of "Fine

  tuning" of a successful event: the sound system needs attention:  the

  speakers may need further instruction in using the microphones; some of the

  speeches went too long; the hooding ceremony for the doctoral candidates

  needs refining to insure the candidate, not the faculty advisor, ends up in

  the family photograph.  A proposal for alphabetizing the seniors was not

  well-received. There was some discussion on the continuing problem of hand-

  icapped access in the Coliseum.

 

  MUSICIANS FOR THE SPRING CEREMONY

 

  David McKee submitted a proposal for using the musicians who would play at

  the Spring Ceremony on a tour of several high schools in the state prior to

  Commencement Day (see attached).

 

  The sense of the committee was that the musicians are a necessity for the

  ceremony and will have to be compensated as they have been in the past.

  This year there is the added cost of three days between the end of exams

  and Commencement; students will require a per diem as well as an

  honorarium.  For some additional cost, a three-day tour could be arranged

  for these musicians to play for high schools and/or alumni events.  There-

  fore, since Plan A (playing just for Commencement) is absolutely necessary,

  the consensus was the Chair should pursue the possibility of the University

  funding Plan B (the tour) also as part of its public relations activities.

  Since most of the student musicians are not music majors, their perform-

  ances at high schools are especially effective in attracting majors in a

  variety of fields.  Many excellent high school students are interested in

  continuing their band or orchestra interests in college, but only in con-

  junction with majors in other areas.  They are encouraged to come to Tech

  when they see that they can combine both interests as these musicians have.

 

  Nickerson and Kennedy will meet with the President on this proposal.

 

  DIPLOMA FRAME PROPOSAL

 

  Just prior to the meeting, representatives of Framing Success, a Virginia

  Beach company, presented a general proposal to the chair for obtaining a

  license to produce the official Virginia Tech diploma frame, a walnut frame

  with a mat embossed with the seal and name of the University.  A sample

  frame and sales literature was made available to the committee for in-

  spection and the chair reported on the salient features of the proposal.

  There was considerable discussion about the appropriateness of the commit-

  tee committing the University to marketing items relating to commencement

  and the general role of the University in marketing at all.  The consensus

  was that licensing is a matter for the administration to consider and that

  the Commencement Committee could not endorse any products.

 

  FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE

 

  Members were asked if there were other policy items that needed attention

  during the spring semester.  None being raised, it was agreed that the com-

  mittee would be on call for addition meetings as needed, but that the work-

  ing committees would proceed to carry out their assignment for the Spring

  Commencement with their usual dispatch and aplomb.

 

  The meetings adjourned at 12:45 p.m.

 

 

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