Grad Walk FAQs

The Spring | Summer 2022 Grad Walk will take place Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8, at Alico Arena, 12181 FGCU Lake Parkway E., Fort Myers, FL 33913.

The Spring | Summer 2022  Grad Walk is a voluntary opportunity for FGCU graduates to briefly take the stage while up to six (6) 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.
• Photo opportunities so graduates and guests can capture key moments of the Grad Walk experience.

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 (6) 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 Spring | Summer 2022 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.

Grad Walk was created as an innovative way to celebrate our students’ achievements on campus while prioritizing COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. At the time, indoor capacity limits were enforced, as was social distancing requirements. We quickly learned that Grad Walks were beneficial to the university, as the events addressed long-standing issues with logistical issues of housing commencement events on campus.

The growth of the university has made it difficult to manage parking, traffic and the turnover of Alico Arena for back-to-back commencement ceremonies. Prior to the pandemic, we were trying to schedule our commencements offsite at larger facilities. While those plans were put on hold during the early days of COVID-19, FGCU’s space and logistical issues didn’t go away. With our rising enrollments and grad rates, it’s done the opposite. While we are in the request queue for off-campus facilities, none were available when we needed them this spring.

As we continue to seek out other off-campus facilities that are better suited for holding large-scale commencements, the upcoming Grad Walk event is helping us honor graduates on campus in a format most have found enjoyable.

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.

FGCU leaders look forward to holding formal commencement ceremonies in the future.

During past 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.