A year ago, I made a plea to the TMCC community to reverse the decline in faculty members fully participating in the commencement ceremony by donning their regalia and marching with the graduates. We also urged TMCC-NFA members to wear the satin stoles embroidered with the NFA seal that we provided, not only as a way to demonstrate our solidarity, but to celebrate a year of great accomplishments driven by the union. It is one of the most effective ways to prove that NFA does not consist only of “a small group of disgruntled older faculty members with axes to grind,” as we are often characterized by certain senior administrators. 

This year, with nearly 100 members, including about 55% of the teaching faculty, we hope to see a virtual sea of silver stoles moving through Lawlor Events Center as faculty march in procession. Commencement is one of the only times during the year when we as a group will even be visible to the regents and other dignitaries participating in the ceremony. For so many of these individuals, faculty only exist in the abstract.  When we blend into the background of the audience at commencement, we only reinforce that perception.

It also goes without saying that we march to honor our students' accomplishments. After 30+ years in higher education, I know the speeches are all going to sound the same and the applause lines are all predictable. But for the graduates, and perhaps for their families, it's all brand new. 

The diversity of the robes and the multitude of hood colors contribute to the formality and spectacle of the event. I hope the addition of the NFA stoles to the regalia will visually unify us and demonstrate to our students, the administration, and the Regents that the faculty are the foundation that supports the very mission of the institution.

Please wear your stole at commencement. For members who have not received one yet, TMCC-NFA officers will have them available in the robing room prior to the ceremony.