BY VALERIE HAWLEY
GRADUATION CEREMONY LEADERSHIP & EXECUTION
ORCHESTRATING A HIGH-VISIBILITY EVENT FROM PLANNING THROUGH EXECUTION
Graduation is one of the most visible and meaningful events in the academic experience. Delivering a seamless ceremony required coordinating university leadership, campus partners, external vendors, speakers, performers, faculty, staff, and students—while ensuring hundreds of individual details came together at exactly the right time.
I served as the lead planner and day-of event lead, managing the process from initial coordination through final execution and creating the systems, communications, and detailed documentation needed to keep everyone aligned.
2000+
ATTENDEES
2
BACK TO BACK CEREMONIES
300+
GRADUATES
STRATEGIC
COORDINATION
Served as the central point of coordination among the Lied Center, KU Marketing, university leadership and Provost representatives, printers, photographers, musicians, caterers, award providers, student speakers, external speakers, and internal faculty and staff.
Coordination extended beyond the individual ceremony to ensure alignment with other university graduation activities, schedules, programs, communications, and institutional expectations.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Preparing leadership and speakers for the stage
Developed the Dean’s graduation remarks and coordinated content from student speakers, university representatives, and outside speakers.
Created a comprehensive master speaker book that organized the complete ceremony from the Dean’s perspective—including the agenda, scripts, speaker remarks, introductions, transitions, award presentations, and cues—giving leadership one reliable resource for navigating the event.
EVENT OPERATIONS & STAGING
Built the master event agenda and then developed the individual components required to execute it, including:
01
PLAN THE PROGRAM
Built the master agenda, speaker order, award sequence, timing, transitions, and event cues.
02
DESIGN THE STAGE
Developed stage seating arrangements, staging plans, participant directions, and venue setup requirements.
03
PREPARE EVERY DETAIL
Organized scripts, awards, water, and podium materials in presentation order so each element was ready at the precise moment it was needed.
04
COORDINATE PARTNERS
Managed photography, music, catering, printing, venue needs, speakers, and other partners to keep every component aligned.
05
PREPARE THE TEAM
Created team assignments and responsibilities, led pre-event walkthroughs, and worked with the venue and staff to verify staging, seating, materials, and final setup before guests arrived.
DAY-OF EVENT LEADERSHIP
Served as the primary event lead on graduation day, overseeing execution from setup through the conclusion of the ceremony.
Managed timing, staging, speakers, staff assignments, venue coordination, awards, and last-minute adjustments while serving as the central point of contact when questions or issues arose.
The goal was simple: the complexity should remain behind the scenes so graduates, families, speakers, and university leaders experienced a polished and meaningful celebration.
WHEN THE CEREMONY COULD NOT HAPPEN
When COVID-19 made an in-person graduation impossible, the challenge was not simply moving the ceremony online. Graduation is steeped in tradition, recognition and shared celebration. The goal was to preserve as much of that experience—and the sense that each graduate mattered—as possible in a completely different format.
​
I redesigned the ceremony as a personalized digital experience. Students were invited to submit photos and information about themselves, including their plans after graduation, favorite parts of their KU experience, awards and accomplishments, and
involvement in committees and activities. I used those submissions to create an individual recognition slide for every graduate, ensuring each student had their own moment in the ceremony.
Speakers recorded their portions of the program individually, and I edited the recordings together with the graduate recognition elements to create a cohesive virtual ceremony that could be shared through the School's website.
To make the experience even more memorable, I secured a personalized video message from KU alumnus and actor Rob Riggle, who congratulated the graduates, acknowledged the disappointment of missing an in-person ceremony, and encouraged them as they prepared to make a difference in the world.
The experience extended beyond the screen. Every graduate received a graduation gift accompanied by a personal message from the Dean, reinforcing that although the community could not gather physically, their accomplishments were still seen, celebrated and valued.
THE PIVOT
Individual Recognition
Created a personalized feature for every graduate rather than simply recreating a traditional ceremony on video.
A Shared Celebration
Combined individually recorded speakers, graduate stories and a special celebrity message into one cohesive digital experience.
A Tangible Connection
Sent every graduate a gift and message from the Dean, bringing an element of the celebration directly to them.
Tradition Reimagined
Preserved the purpose behind graduation—recognition, pride, connection and celebration—even when the traditional experience was not possible.
Impact