This document provides role-specific information for S&I personnel to help institute students qualify for graduation. For general information on holding graduation ceremonies, see Graduation Guidelines in the Stake Institute Graduation Guide.
The Institute Teacher
At the beginning and during each term, (1) heightens student awareness of completion and graduation requirements, (2) elevates learning by inviting students to complete courses and plan to graduate, and (3) explains that projected graduation applicants must receive an ecclesiastical endorsement before submitting application.
Institute Graduation Application Form
With assistance from a program administrative assistant, at the beginning and during each term, uses the Status Report to identify students in each class who have qualified or will qualify for graduation. The Status Report is year-based, meaning it will only show a status report for students enrolled in your program for the current year.
Depending on local needs, collects completed graduation applications, which include signed ecclesiastical endorsements, or invites students to directly submit completed applications to the administrative assistant.
Completed graduation applications help institute programs identify projected graduates who already have or will qualify for graduation and are interested in participating in the annual graduation ceremony. Programs use applications to update contact information in WISE as well.
Attends institute graduation, supporting students in their achievement.
The Status Report
The Status Report shows the student’s name, priesthood leader’s name, completed class(es), and current registration information.
Log in to WISE, then:
- Click the Recognition Tab.
- Click Program Reports.
- Click Status Report from the list on the left-hand side.
- Click Selected Teacher, find your name.
- Create reports for 1-8 credit hours of an award (within 2–4 credits is probably sufficient).
- Click Preview.
HOW TO USE: Copy this report for each student, attach it to a graduation application (see p. 10), and give each projected graduating student an opportunity to apply for graduation. The Institute Transcript is another effective resource to share with students. Students’ graduation progress is also found under the Graduation tab of myInstitute.
The Administrative Assistant
As needed, assists teachers to find and/or print the Status Report (see p.4). This report will help teachers assist their current students in being aware of student graduation progress. This is a year-based report, meaning it will only show a status report for students enrolled in your program for the current year.
In consultation with the director or coordinator, identifies projected graduates using the Projected Program Graduation report. This report allows programs to search for projected graduates by choosing all the terms within the current year’s graduation ceremony.
- Students who complete makeup work for courses that were taken in a prior year and that qualify the student for graduation during a prior year will not appear on the current year’s Projected Program Graduation list. See Final Program Graduation report below.
- Students listed on the Projected Program Graduation report but who do not appear on the program’s Status Report may have been enrolled in a term outside the program’s current year.
- For example, a student may have been enrolled Summer 2017 (the 2016–17 year), but the program’s Status Report only accounts for students enrolled in the 2017–18 year.
- The Projected Program Graduation report can list all students within up to 8 credits from graduation. This example shows students within 2 credits of qualifying for graduation:
In consultation with the director or coordinator and if local needs exist, uses the Final Program Graduation report to find students who have qualified for graduation by completing makeup work for a prior year’s course. This report may be a resource to find students who have qualified for institute graduation in a previous year but have not yet been recognized for their achievement. WISE does not currently track when a student has been recognized at graduation.
Follows up on faculty efforts to promote graduation by assisting faculty in emailing, texting, or calling projected graduates and inviting students to apply for graduation. Programs use the graduation application (see p. 10) to assist in this process.
Collects and organizes completed graduation applications, which include signed ecclesiastical endorsements.
Applications are not complete until a projected graduation applicant has contacted the student’s bishop or bishopric counselor and has received an ecclesiastical endorsement. It is the responsibility of the student to receive an ecclesiastical endorsement to complete the application.
Completed graduation applications help institute programs identify projected graduates who already have or will qualify for graduation and are interested in participating in the annual graduation ceremony. Programs use applications to update contact information in WISE as well.
Keeps and updates an endorsed graduation applicants list using software such as Excel. As an example, programs may consider organizing and keeping the following information:
In consultation with the director or coordinator, creates the graduation program, using only the endorsed graduation applicants list to the program (see p. 11 for a sample graduation program).
Orders covers and diploma paper and prints diplomas and certificates of completion from SIRA. Seminary and Institute Diploma Cover (item #10474000) and Seminary and Institute Diploma Paper (item #06029000) should be used for all Institute Diplomas. These items are available at store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org or through local service centers where the online store is not available. Certificates are printed on a high-quality paper of your choosing.
If graduation is held prior to the end of school, sends diplomas to endorsed graduation applicants after term is closed in WISE. Prepares empty diploma covers to be distributed at ceremony.
If graduation is held after the term ends, prints diplomas for endorsed graduates and inserts awards into diploma covers, ready for distribution at the ceremony.
- Use the ‘Certificates and Diplomas’ feature under the Recognition tab in WISE. Note that you will print diplomas only from this screen. Certificates of Completion are printed from the Reports tab.
- Diplomas and certificates can also be printed from each student’s ID page under the Recognition tab.
The Director or Coordinator
Assists in creating a program culture where completion of courses and graduation is important and valued.
Assists in preparing the annual graduation ceremony with the current Institute Advisory Council (IAC) (see General Handbook 15.2 Institute and Stake Institute on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Selects a date, time, and place for ceremony. Works most closely preparing the ceremony with the stake president who is currently assigned to chair the IAC.
Answers questions or concerns about graduation from local priesthood leaders, faculty, and students.
Four to five months prior to graduation, assists administrative assistant with all institute graduation reports and preparations, including publicizing completion and graduation requirements and making graduation applications available to students and faculty. Follows up with faculty efforts to invite projected graduates to apply for and participate in annual graduation.
Explains the ecclesiastical endorsement process to stake presidents, and answers questions regarding endorsement.
Invites stake presidents to train bishops on ecclesiastical endorsement procedures.
Invites all stake and ward leaders who have members participating in graduation to attend the graduation ceremony. Sends reminders of invitation to attend graduation, as appropriate.
Assists administrative assistant with approval from chairman of IAC in creating the graduation ceremony program. Reviews final program with chairman of IAC.