Have you ever wondered who sits on stage at a college graduation? Why are they there? Who decides where they sit? We’re breaking down who’s who and what’s what ahead of the next round of Texas A&M commencement ceremonies.
KAMU is proud to record, livestream and broadcast all nine Texas A&M graduation ceremonies again this May. We’re excited to celebrate with students and families on one of the biggest days of their lives! Bookmark our livestreaming page for quick access or make plans to purchase a recording of your loved one’s ceremony.
Stage Party 101
The Office of the Registrar at Texas A&M plans more than a dozen commencement ceremonies each year. They’re in charge of every aspect of each ceremony, including who sits on stage.
Many registrar team members have worked at A&M for years, with several hundred ceremonies of experience between them. They love facilitating ceremonies that make students feel recognized.
To create the stage party for each ceremony, they send invitations to university leadership, college administrators and more. Once they receive RSVPs, they make a seating chart and ensure that Reed Arena staff knows how many chairs to set up.
1. The President
The leader of the university gets the best seat in the house. Current Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III sits behind and to the left of the podium in most instances. During each ceremony, he gives a short speech to the graduates and later confers their degrees – a short, formal presentation that officially awards the degrees.
2. The Provost
As the head of academics at A&M, the provost serves as the host for each ceremony. Current Texas A&M Provost Alan Sams introduces each speaker and gives instructions to the graduates. He sits next to the president.
3. Texas A&M University System and Board of Regents Representatives
A representative from the Texas A&M University System and a representative from the Board of Regents provide official greetings and congratulations to the graduates at each ceremony. This greeting is often provided virtually through a recorded video, but representatives occasionally attend in person.
4. Deans of Colleges and Schools
Texas A&M is a large place! Some colleges and schools are so large they need their own ceremonies. Others are small enough that two or three can graduate together. Regardless, the dean of each college and school – or a representative of their choosing – attends their respective ceremony. Each dean hands their students their diploma tubes and shakes their hands as they cross.
More than a dozen deans, plus the Graduate and Professional School dean, attend each graduate and professional degree ceremony.
5. The Association of Former Students Representative
A representative from The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M’s alumni association, is present at each ceremony and typically sits on the front row, behind and to the right of the podium. During the roll call, they stand at the end of the handshake line to welcome each graduate to the Aggie Network.
At the end of the ceremony, they speak to the graduates, inducting them into The Association and leading the group in turning their Aggie Rings. This representative may be a different person for each ceremony.
6. Mace Bearer
Each graduation ceremony opens with a mace bearer carrying a ceremonial mace ahead of the stage party procession. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (formerly the Dean of Faculty) carries the mace across the Reed Arena floor, placing it in a stand next to the podium on stage. It remains until the closing recessional, when it’s carried out in front of the other faculty and stage party members.
7. Student Speakers
Two graduating students get the chance to speak at each ceremony. One student is selected to deliver an invocation. Another is chosen to give a short speech on behalf of the graduating class, known as an expression of appreciation. Both students typically sit in the front row.
8. Faculty Senate
The Texas A&M Faculty Senate is invited to send a representative, often the speaker, to graduation to represent all faculty on campus. While they do not play an active role in the ceremony, they are typically seated on the front row, behind and to the right of the podium.
9. Department Heads and Faculty
Many people play a role in each student’s education. Department heads and faculty are among them. Several of these individuals will attend each ceremony. Some will stand in the handshake line, congratulating their students for their achievements. Others don’t have an active role in the ceremony but just want to be present.
10. Commandant
The Commandant of the Corps of Cadets comes to most ceremonies since cadets are spread throughout colleges and schools. The commandant joins the handshake line whenever a cadet crosses the stage.
Texas A&M has a long history of preparing students for military service. One ceremony during each graduation season includes a ceremonial military commissioning. The commandant serves as presiding officer and administers the oath of enlistment as new officers are sworn into the military.
11. Announcers
The voices that say every student’s name as they cross the stage are also part of the stage party. Ceremonies employ two or three announcers, who are seated on the back row of the stage. They perform the ceremony’s opening and closing “off-stage” announcements and make last-minute adjustments to their lists of graduates. They are also ready in case an important or unexpected announcement needs to be made, such as an emergency, interruption, or other event that may unexpectedly impact the ceremony. Once it’s time for the roll call, they each take their turn at the microphone to announce the graduates.
12. ROTC Leadership (when applicable)
The three Colonels that lead the ROTC divisions in the Corps of Cadets attend ceremonies featuring the ceremonial military commissioning. They shake every new officer’s hand after they’re sworn into U.S. military branches.
13. Honorary Degree Recipients (when applicable)
Occasionally, the university recognizes influential individuals with honorary degrees. This most recently happened in December 2024, when Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, a former dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, received an honorary Doctor of Letters.
These people make up the stage party at each commencement ceremony at Texas A&M. While it may seem like a lot, the Office of the Registrar can seat a maximum of 84 people on the stage. Undergraduate ceremonies, with a larger student population, will include fewer colleges and a smaller stage party. Graduate and professional ceremonies, with a smaller number of graduates, may include representation from all colleges and schools, meaning more deans and faculty members will attend. No matter the amount, the Office of the Registrar’s goals are to make each ceremony special for everyone and leave our graduates and families with a positive, lasting impression of Aggieland.
Happy graduation season, Aggies, and congratulations from all of us at KAMU!
