Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences invites COM students who have an immediate family member with a DO or MD designation to have them participate in their graduate’s ceremonial hooding the day of commencement. Immediate family members include a spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, or legal guardian. Students must indicate on the Graduation Application that they want a guest hooder, provide their information, and whether they will be wearing their own academic regalia or renting. COM students are allowed up to two (2) guest hooders, and they are counted towards the six (6) allotted tickets each graduate receives.
Questions about Guest Hooders or tickets can be directed to registrar@pnwu.edu.
Guest Hooder Regalia
Guest hooders are required to wear academic regalia to participate in the commencement ceremony. They are allowed to wear their own regalia or rent regalia through Oak Hall. If regalia is rented, it will be delivered to the PNWU campus and will be available for pick-up the Friday before commencement. Deadline to place guest hooder regalia orders is Friday, March 29, 2024. Orders cannot be placed after the deadline. Email registrar@pnwu.edu with questions.
Please make sure that all academic regalia is steamed and wrinkle free prior to the commencement ceremony.
After the ceremony, all academic regalia needs to be returned. There will be a return table out front of the Capitol Theatre.
Ceremony Instructions
Guest hooders should arrive one hour prior to the start time of the ceremony. They will line up and be part of the processional with their graduate. They will be seated beside their graduate the first portion of the ceremony, until the hooding ceremony. The guest hooder will follow their graduate on stage, cross behind the first podium and step onto the hooding platform. After hooding their graduate, they will be assisted off stage where they can join other family members and friends in the audience to view the rest of the ceremony.