A great friend Roger Geyer graduated with his PhD. this spring from UVA. Roger invited me to attend his Hooding.
I was honored to be there. Actually I did not know what a hooding entailed!
It is a wonderful but simple ceremony where the graduate is the center of attention as comments are read about them.
Their Professors/advisors write the comments. The hood refers to a colored hood that is draped over their shoulders.
The color is based on the academic school from which one graduates.
Before it started I saw a lone chair in the middle of the stage. The chair was a little nicer then the rest. A color tablecloth was the only thing that stood out on the stage. I took the picture not knowing the symbolism and how well it defined the ceremony.
Click on pic for larger version