Celebrating the SMLR Class of 2021

The SMLR Virtual Convocation consists of a celebration website and video ceremony that will premiere on Saturday, May 15th at 1:30pm EDT. There will be two ceremony links – one for the bachelor's ceremony and one for the master's ceremony, which will allow for individual recognition of the graduates. 

Click here to view our celebration website and choose your ceremony.

The celebration website where the videos are housed also includes links to additional features to celebrate our graduating students. These include: a scrolling list of all SMLR Class of 2021 graduates, video shout-outs from SMLR faculty and staff, and a link to a video with advice from SMLR alumni. There is also a link to a kudoboard where family and friends can post messages to the SMLR Class of 2021.  

Ceremony Premiere

To view the live premiere, we recommend you click on your ceremony link (bachelor’s or master’s) a few minutes prior to 1:30pm EDT so you won’t miss a minute!  (The ceremony videos will be available to view again after they have premiered.)

For anyone wanting to turn the tassel on their cap, it is worn on the right and turned to the left upon graduation.  

What to Expect

For the first 25-35 minutes, your celebration ceremony will feature remarks from Dean Adrienne E. Eaton, SMLR’s two faculty teaching award winners, student speakers, and 2021 SMLR guest speaker, U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Deputy Director and SMLR alumna Analilia Mejia. You will also be treated to a performance by the Rutgers Glee Club. The remainder of your ceremony will feature recognition of the Class of 2021, which includes a series of graduate slides by academic program.  Graduates will be listed alphabetically within each program, and double majors will appear within their primary program. The bachelor’s degree graduate recognition runs approximately 75 minutes; the master’s degree graduate recognition runs approximately 20 minutes.

Graduation events are 2-part: School Convocation and University Commencement.

Convocation honors and recognizes the individual graduates and the honors earned from the School of Management and Labor Relations. University Commencement celebrates all members of the Class of 2021 from Rutgers–New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical & Health Sciences at one event. It is at University Commencement where President Holloway confers the degrees. The details of University Commencement can be found here: commencement.rutgers.edu.

SMLR’s Virtual Convocation Celebration will recognize and honor all SMLR undergraduate and graduate students earning any of the following degrees in January, May or August 2021:  

• Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM)
• Master of Labor and Employment Relations (MLER)
• Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations (BS LER)
• Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies and Employment Relations (BA LSER)*
• Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management (BA HRM)*

*BA degrees are awarded by Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and are recognized at SMLR’s Convocation.

Undergraduate students who need 12 credits or less to graduate and plan to enroll in the summer 2021 session to complete these credits may be included in SMLR’s Virtual Convocation Celebration as expected August 2021 graduates. Inclusion in the Virtual Convocation and University Commencement celebrations should not be construed as verification of graduation.

Download the digital invitation here

The SMLR Virtual Photobooth is now available.  You may want to double your picture options with the University’s Virtual Photobooth. You can upload as many pictures as you would like to the Virtual Photobooths, rescale them, and download a copy using as many backgrounds as you like from both sites, so be sure to have fun with this feature! 

COMING SOON!

Please check back closer to the event for the direct links to view the SMLR convocation ceremony premieres on May 15th!

Please check your graduation date to be sure it accurately reflects your degree completion through Degree Navigator. When you log in, you can see the date at the top right of the page in the box where your name, RUID, and NetID are listed. 

If you need to change your graduation date and are a SMLR student (BS LER), complete this form. If you are a School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) student (BA HRM or BA LSER), please contact your advisor at SAS Advising and Academic Services.  

Don't forget to apply for your diploma as soon as possible for either May 2021 or August 2021. All students must complete this online process to graduate.  Click here to view University deadlines for submission.  

Please note: All 2021 Graduates wishing to have their name included in the SMLR Virtual Convocation must apply for their diploma by April 1 regardless of their graduation month.

To learn more about financial holds and loan exit counseling, visit the Student Accounting, Billing, and Cashier Services website.

Lors Photography is offering Senior Portrait Sessions at three remote off-campus locations in New Jersey (New Brunswick, Mount Laurel, and Toms River). Seniors were sent an email directly from Lors Photography on Monday, January 18th with details and links to book a portrait session. This email was sent to the address on file with the registrar’s office. If you did not receive an email, please send a message to customerservice@lorsstudio.com or call 908-964-3040.

Honor cords, pins, and certificates will be mailed to domestic mailing addresses. Please make certain to update your mailing address in Degree Navigator by May 15.

Bachelor students of the Human Resource Management program, Labor Studies and Employment Relations program, and Labor and Employment Relations program who achieve a 3.70 GPA or higher for coursework within their major will be mailed an excellence pin and a certificate upon graduation.

Departmental honors for January and May graduates are determined as of January 15, 2021. Departmental honors for August 2021 graduates will be determined based upon their final transcript GPA. August graduates will not have their honors listed in SMLR’s Convocation Celebration since they will not have been determined in time for publishing.

The baccalaureate degree is conferred summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude for students achieving honors in the overall program of study at Rutgers University. All degree honors are determined by final cumulative GPA as listed below and are noted on the diploma and final transcript:

Note: Averages are not rounded to the next higher number in the calculation of honors.

Bachelor of Science students of the Labor and Employment Relations program achieving overall program honors of summa or magna cum laude will be mailed white cords from the School of Management and Labor Relations. The School of Arts and Sciences awards the honor cords for Bachelor of Arts students of the Human Resource Management and/or Labor Studies and Employment Relations program(s).

Submit your Degree Candidacy Form as soon as possible for either May 2021 or August 2021. All graduate students must complete this form to graduate. 

• MLER program graduates: Complete and submit this MLER Degree Candidacy Form to laborstudies@smlr.rutgers.edu.  
• MHRM program graduates:  Complete and submit this MHRM Degree Candidacy Form to Rebecca Tinkhamat tinkham@smlr.rutgers.edu. 
• Online Professional MHRM program graduates: Complete and submit this MHRM Degree Candidacy Form to Allison Kushner at allison.kushner@rutgers.edu. 

Don't forget to apply for your diploma as soon as possible. All students must complete this online process to graduate.

• SMLR Graduate Student Application Deadline for May 2021 graduates is April 1.
• SMLR Graduate Student Application Deadline for August 2021 graduates is September 1.  

Please note: All 2021 Graduates wishing to have their name included in the SMLR Virtual Convocation must apply for their diploma by April 1 regardless of their graduation month.

To learn more about financial holds and loan exit counseling, visit the Student Accounting, Billing, and Cashier Services website.

Lors Photography is offering Graduate Portrait Sessions at three remote off-campus locations in New Jersey (New Brunswick, Mount Laurel, and Toms River). If you are interested in booking a portrait session, please email customerservice@lorsstudio.com or call 908-964-3040.

All SMLR master’s degree students achieving a 4.000 GPA throughout their program receive gold cords to adorn their regalia.

Honor cords will be mailed to domestic mailing addresses. Please make certain to update your mailing address in Degree Navigator by May 15.

All regalia is purchased through Barnes & Noble and will be shipped directly to you. There is an early bird discount for regalia purchased on or before April 1, 2021. When ordering, please allow a minimum of 3 weeks to receive your regalia. Click here to order your regalia.

Hood Colors:    

• MHRM graduates - hood color is DUSK
• MLER graduates - hood is PEACOCK (blue)
• BS LER graduates (School 37, SMLR) - GOLD trim 
• BA LSER and BA HRM graduates (School 01, SAS) - WHITE trim

The tassel of the cap is worn on the right and turned to the left upon graduation.  

If you are a graduating student, please complete the post-graduation survey offered by Rutgers Career Exploration and Success. By completing the survey about your plans after graduation, you have an opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win your choice of a pair of Apple Air Pods or a $100 Amazon Gift Card!