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• 1. Diplomas are prepared in the Office of the University Registrar (UREG) at Carruthers Hall under the watchful eye of Debbie Shiflett, degree conferral coordinator. Shiflett has worked in the registrar’s office for 38 years and has overseen diploma preparation for the last six.
• 2. Small labels with a bar code and the recipient’s name are affixed to the back of each diploma and proofed against a master list of names and the name on the diploma to help ensure accuracy. The diplomas are then rolled and tied. Last year, only one name had an error (the result of a special character in the name).
• 3. This homemade wooden contraption holds a spool of ribbon and facilitates the measuring and cutting process. It was made in the 1990s by Bob LeHeup (Grad ’87), former associate University registrar.
• 4. Wooden dowels are used to help roll the diplomas. The entire process takes two to three weeks, and all 18 UREG employees are involved to varying degrees. A printing problem several years ago delayed delivery of the diplomas until three days before Final Exercises. With the help of temps and people from other offices around Grounds, the diplomas were ready in time.
• 5. The University seal was once stamped onto the diplomas by hand; the seals are now applied by the printer. This press has been around UREG for so long that staffers joke that it was used by Thomas Jefferson.
• 6. A printer in Virginia Beach prints the diplomas on acid-free, archival paper that measures 17 by 22 inches. “It’s the largest undergraduate diploma that we know of,” says Jonathan Helm, associate University registrar.
• 7. The ribbons are hand-cut at an angle to a length of 11 inches. More than a mile of orange-and-blue ribbon was used to tie this year’s batch of diplomas.
• 8. Diplomas are held in alphabetical order by degree and major with elastic bands sewn into the custom-made blue felt “diploma rolls,” which are distributed to various locations around Grounds. Shiflett says she needs more rolls to accommodate larger classes, and the ones she has are showing signs of wear and tear and need to be replaced soon. One obstacle: The rolls have been used for so many years that no one is sure where they came from.
• 9. A number of blanks are kept on hand in case a diploma is damaged or is printed incorrectly. In that event, a graduate receives a rolled blank during Finals and gets an actual diploma in the mail soon thereafter. For information on replacement and miniature diplomas, visit www.virginia.edu/registrar.