Commencement Tickets

Tickets for families, friends and guests will be issued electronically from the MassMutual Center.

• If you are eligible to participate in Commencement, you will receive an email with an RSVP link from the Registrar’s Office in mid-March that you must reply to.
• If you plan to attend Commencement, you MUST respond to the RSVP form. The RSVP date will be announced soon.
• If you do not receive an email from the Registrar’s Office and would like to petition to participate, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@westfield.ma.edu for assistance.
• Each undergraduate will be provided with a maximum of five (5) guest tickets for Commencement.
• Tickets will be sent directly from the MassMutual Center to students’ WSU email beginning the week of May 5th.
• Students graduating do not need a ticket.

Information will also be provided in the MassMutual Center email on how to transfer the tickets to each of your guests.

• All guest seats are General Admission.
• ALL TICKETS ARE ELECTRONIC. Guests must have an e-ticket to enter the center.
• Tickets will be scanned at the entrance.
• Each ticket has a distinct access code and may only be used once.
• The tickets are non-replaceable and do not have monetary value.
• The University does not support or condone the selling of guest tickets.
• WSU is not responsible for lost, stolen or destroyed guest tickets.
• Undergraduate Commencement guests will enter at the box office located on Bruce Landon Way beginning at 9:30 a.m.
• Guest tickets are free of charge.
• Guests are prohibited from bringing balloons, food or beverages into the MassMutual Center.
• Undergraduate Commencement will begin at 11:00 a.m. and last until approximately 2:00 p.m.

To allow for maximum access for graduates and their guests, there will not be any tickets available for faculty and staff who wish to attend without participation in the ceremony. Faculty in attendance should be in the processional; staff may volunteer by contacting Chris Hirtle at chirtle@westfield.ma.edu.

Students graduating should plan to arrive at the MassMutual Center for robing and processional between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

• There is no secure storage for valuables.
• Look for signs directing you to the correct entrance for students located on the corner of Main St and Bruce Landon Way.
• Guests will enter the MassMutual Center at the Main entrance on Bruce Landon Way.
• Once inside students will be directed to the Exhibition Hall. Just inside the Exhibition Hall, check in to receive your name card and honors tassel if you have earned Latin Honors.
• Hold on to your name card, as you will present it to the reader at the microphone when you walk across the platform during the program. If you do not have a card, your name will not be announced.
• Once you have received your card, find the sign for your major and get in line for the processional. You will follow your academic department in rows of two, and you will end up sitting next to whomever you are walking in front of or behind as the two rows will split when you enter the arena. The banners with the names of majors will be positioned alphabetically behind the banner with the name of your College:
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Professional Studies
• When it is time for your major to approach the platform, those students on the left will approach from the left side and those on the right will approach from the right side. You will receive your diploma cover, stop for your photo, hand your name card to the reader at the podium, and shake the hand of the President or Chair of the Board of Trustees. All students exit the platform from the enter ramp and return to their original seats. WSU staff will be there to direct you.
• Please remain on the arena floor until the recessional at the end of the ceremony, and help assure the appropriate decorum to mark this important event in your life.

We know that having photographs of this occasion is very important to family and friends. Therefore, to clearly capture the moment when each graduate walks across the platform, the University has engaged the services of an experienced professional photographer. High-quality color photographs will be offered to every graduate for purchase soon after Commencement.

To align with our commitment to sustainability, digital programs will be accessible on the day of the event. Attendees can use their smartphones to access the program via a QR code provided at the ceremony. Those who are participating virtually will also have the option to view the program.

Please note that some streets will be closed beginning at 10:00 am on Friday, May 16 to prepare for the annual "World's Largest Pancake Breakfast." Impacted streets include Main St to Bridge St, Boland Way, Harrison Ave, Court St, Bruce Landon Way, and City Hall Place, as illustrated on the MassMutual Center/MGM map.

Convention Center Carpark

The new Convention Center Carpark located adjacent to the MassMutual Center is now open to the public!!!

A few notes:

1. This is a PAID garage. Click Here For Daily Rates & Event Parking Rates
2. Entrances & Exits are located on Harrison Avenue & Dwight Street
3. There is a street-level walkway that leads from the garage, across Bruce Landon Way, and will empty onto the sidewalk of Bruce Landon Way in front of the box office.
4. Although open and operating, there will still be construction activities in and around the garage as the construction is still ongoing. Please follow all signage and direction provided by garage attendants. 

Please note: Bruce Landon Way is partially shut down due to the construction of the new garage, so there is no thru traffic. There is, however, limited ADA parking on Dwight St, State St, and Court St. 

For Other Parking Options

The MGM parking garage is the closest, about a block away, and is free. Please park, take the elevator to the casino floor, and follow the floor arrow signs stating The Under 21 Expressway to the MassMutual Center. This will bring you through the casino (without entering the casino floor) to an exit. Upon exiting, the MassMutual Center will be across the street to your left. 

For a map of available parking, please click here

Please excuse our appearance as the MassMutual Center property and areas around us undergo construction. As we prepare for the future, we've created a map to assist you in locating ADA parking spots adjacent to the facility. ADA parking can be found on Court St., Dwight Street and State Street. Parking alternatives are also offered by the Springfield parking Authority and MGM Springfield. *ADA parking availability is subject to change – for questions regarding your specific event please contact the MassMutual Center Box Office*

• No Bags, backpacks, or brief cases except for: 
           1. Clutch/Purse no larger than 5"x 7"        
           2. Medical Bag        
           3. Diaper Bag (with child in attendance)
• Cameras with interchangeable/detachable lens or external flash (No Professional Photography)
• Audio/Visual Recording Devices (includes GoPro, Google Glass, Spectacles, etc.)
• Selfie Sticks, Tripods, Monopods
• Outside Food, Beverage, or Alcohol
• Cans, Metal/Glass/Plastic Containers, Bottles, or Flasks (empty or sealed bottles included)
• Laptops, Tablets, Personal Computers, or Two-Way Radios
• Weapons, Firearms, Pepper Spray, Pocket Knives or Mace
• Illegal Drugs or Substances
• Flammable Liquids, Aerosol Cans, or Permanent Markers
• Flashlights, Laser Pointers, Flares, or Fireworks
• Noise Making Devices (i.e. Air Horns, whistles, bells, vuvuzelas, etc.)
• Balloons, Balls, Projectiles, or Optical Illusions
• Skateboards, Segways, Scooters, Rollerblades, Bicycles, Hover boards, and Helmets
• Coolers, Ice Chests, Folding Chairs, or Pointed-Tip Umbrellas
• Flowers (unless otherwise permitted by Tour Production)
• Seat Cushions or Booster Seats
• Patrons Without Shoes or Shirt
• Masks, Chains, or Studded Belts/Bracelets
• Drones (without prior written consent from MassMutual Center Management)
• Animals or Pets (accommodations made for trained, harnessed, and housebroken service animals)
• Unapproved Pamphlets, Handouts, Ads, or Flyers without prior consent from Arena Management
• Clothing, garments, or signs displaying explicit language, profanity, or derogatory characterization toward any person(s)
• Signs, Flags, or Banners exceeding 11” x 17” or attached to a pole/stick. Signs must be relevant to event. Signs may not contain or display obscene or offensive language and/or pictures as determined by MassMutual Center Management. Management reserves the right to prohibit or remove a sign or banner at any time. 

We want all of our guest to have an opportunity to enjoy this special event. The MassMutual Center is fully accessible. Guest entrance is on Bruce Landon Way between Main Street and Dwight Street. Elevators are located at this entrance.

We advise guests requiring wheelchair assistance to bring their personal wheelchairs from home, as venue wheelchairs may be in use. 

We will have closed captioning available on all large screens in the arena and on the live video feed. The MassMutual Center will provide Assisted Listening Devices (ALD’s) upon request. Please call them at 413-787-6610 to arrange for an ALD two days prior to the event. ALD’s will be available for pickup at the guest services booth on the arena concourse. Live streaming of the ceremonies will be available through the WSU home page.

If you or a guest have special needs, please contact the MassMutual Center at 413-271-3257.

For more information on accessibility and accommodations at the MassMutual Center: https://www.massmutualcenter.com/accessibility