Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 4:30 p.m.

Robert V. Van Fossan Theatre
63 Fremont Street, Bloomfield, NJ
Reception to follow in Westminster Arts Center, Room 110

Baccalaureate is a ceremony in which the armor of the student (the degree) is blessed in a non-denominational service. Generally, the students, faculty, administration, and academic guests proceed to the chapel in full academic dress. Baccalaureate has its origins in the tradition of chivalry, in which the squire goes through a special ceremony to become a knight. As part of the ceremony, his armor, sword, and spurs are blessed in a church before knighthood is conferred.

At the Baccalaureate students who are graduating with Latin honors by virtue of having met and maintained high academic requirements and students who are either members of the Bloomfield College Honors Program, members of one of the national honor societies, or a military veteran will receive honor cords that signify their academic accomplishments.  In addition to the Latin honors designation, the Bloomfield College Honors Program and our military veterans, there are four national honor society chapters. They are:

Alpha Chi – for juniors and seniors in all majors

Delta Mu Delta – for juniors and seniors in the Business majors

Kappa Delta Pi – for students majoring in Education

Psi Chi – for students majoring or minoring in Psychology

To be considered for Latin honors at graduation, a student must have successfully completed at least sixteen course units on the letter grade system at Bloomfield College.  Credits earned in courses below the 100 level will not be included in the cumulative grade point average upon graduation, and will not be used in determining averages for graduation with honors.  A student who has earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and a 3.50 average in the major is eligible for cum laude; both averages must be 3.65 for magna cum laude and 3.80 for summa cum laude.

Baccalaureate Speaker
Dr. Thelma Jean Grossholtz
Professor Emerita of Politics and Women's Studies at Mount Holyoke College

Invitations to attend the Baccalaureate for students eligible to receive Latin honors, Bloomfield College Honors Program, military verteran or honor society cords will be mailed on May 3. Resident students will receive their letter in their campus mailbox.

For further information contact:

Denise Smith
973-748-9000 x1101
denise_smith@bloomfield.edu