Grad Walk FAQs

The Fall 2021 Grad Walk will take place Saturday, Dec. 18, at Alico Arena, 12181 FGCU Lake Parkway E., Fort Myers, FL 33913.

The Fall 2021 Grad Walk is a voluntary opportunity for FGCU graduates to briefly take the stage while up to six guests watch and cheer from the floor of Alico Arena. During Grad Walk, college by college, FGCU will shine a light on each Eagle at their registered time. 

The event includes:

• The reading aloud of each graduate’s name and degree.
• Professional photos of each graduate while on stage.
• A special gift from the FGCU Alumni Association.
• Light refreshments and a chance to socialize and celebrate with fellow graduates, guests, college mentors and university leaders in an open-air reception. 
• Photo opportunities so graduates and guests can capture key moments of the Grad Walk experience.

New this semester is the addition of an open-air reception. Light refreshments will be served in the tent, and the reception is an opportunity for graduates to celebrate their achievement alongside their family, peers, college mentors and university leaders.

No. Participation in the reception is optional. 

Yes. Graduates must register in advance for a specific time based on the schedule. All graduates are required to check in at the registration tent outside of Alico Arena prior to attending Grad Walk. Graduates will receive a confirmation email with a QR code that will need to be scanned during the check-in process at Grad Walk.

Each student can invite up to six guests, regardless of age, to Grad Walk. Guests must be able to travel between event stations.

No. Only the graduating student needs to register.

Yes. Complimentary parking is available outside Alico Arena.

Florida Gulf Coast University’s Alico Arena provides accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including accessible parking, entrances and restrooms. Full details on accessibility related to Grad Walk can be found on FGCU’s Adaptive Services’ website. Graduates or guests who need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in Grad Walk should contact Tom Vaughan at tdvaughan@fgcu.edu or 239-590-7956.

Graduates and their guests must be present for check in. Check-in tables will be located outside the main entry doors of Alico Arena. Graduates will need to show their e-ticket via a mobile device or printed email. Graduates will receive a reader card to fill out while at the check-in area. 

Graduates will write down how to pronounce their name on a reader card, which will be given to the on-stage attendant once inside the arena. This ensures graduates’ names and degrees are read correctly. 

Graduates may choose to wear official commencement regalia or other professional attire.

Regalia can be ordered through the FGCU cap and gown order website as well as purchased or rented on campus at the FGCU bookstore. The bookstore is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Rented regalia can be returned to FGCU’s bookstore, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Graduates may purchase and pick up an official FGCU Graduation Medallion at the annual giving table stationed outside Alico Arena. Graduates who have pre-purchased medallions can also pick them up at the FGCU Alumni Association table before going inside the arena.

Visit the Fall 2021 Grad Walk website for details. The Grad Walk will not be live streamed.

All graduating students will receive an official FGCU diploma cover. The actual diplomas will be sent at a later date. Diplomas are mailed approximately 60 days after graduation.

FGCU’s Grad Walk event is predominantly touchless, but graduates and their guests will have access to personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer. Floor markers help control the timing of each student’s Grad Walk, but the stickers double as an opportunity to help space out groups from one another. 

Please do not attend Grad Walk if:

• You have recently been exposed to COVID-19.
• You have been advised to quarantine or isolate from others due to COVID-19 concerns.
• You are experiencing any symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

FGCU expects students, employees and visitors to wear face masks while indoors and when attending large, outdoor gatherings, even if vaccinated. However, FGCU has no ability to enforce whether someone wears a mask or not.

Grad Walk is an innovative event that was created in an unprecedented time to give graduates a chance to celebrate their achievements in person while keeping their family, friends and campus community safe. At this time, decisions about graduations are made each semester so campus leaders can consider the most current pandemic-related information and data. Feedback from previous Grad Walk participants has been positive, and students have appreciated the event’s format and individualized experience. FGCU wanted to continue this option for students, while also offering a more robust experience based on the feedback received to date. The Fall 2021 Grad Walk now includes an open-air reception, where graduates and their guests can celebrate with fellow students, mentors and university leaders.

Basketball games and a traditional commencement ceremony are not the same type of event. Commencement crowds exceed FGCU’s most-packed basketball games by 30%, with graduation ceremonies filling up all of the seats available in the stands and up to 500 seats on the floor. Social distancing would not be possible.

FGCU is not the only university in Florida offering Grad Walks in lieu of traditional commencement at this time. Unlike some state universities, FGCU does not have indoor arenas and outdoor football stadiums that were made to handle large crowds, parking and traffic concerns. Also, other arenas in Southwest Florida are not available for FGCU’s graduation weekend. 

FGCU leaders look forward to holding formal commencement ceremonies in the future, but Grad Walk events have given us the flexibility to honor our graduates in an unprecedented time. The decision of how to celebrate our graduates is made each semester, due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges.

During the past two events, Grad Walk representatives conducted impromptu interviews with graduates and their families to gauge in-the-moment feedback. Questionnaires via Survey Monkey were sent to students who participated in a Grad Walk. The university has not published the survey results to protect the privacy of survey participants.