People of McMaster celebrates the incredible people who help make McMaster a great place to work, learn, teach and conduct research. This is the sixth instalment of this series. Click here for the previous story. 

For Diane Warwick and Kimberly Foottit, convocation is more than just a ceremony; it’s a culmination of months of planning and a celebration of student achievement.  

Warwick, merchandise manager at the McMaster Campus Store, and Foottit, the required supplies and general merchandise buyer, play pivotal roles in ensuring that every graduate looks their best on their big day.   

What does your role at McMaster entail, and how do you support convocation? 

Diane Warwick: I’ve been at McMaster for almost eight years now, managing general merchandise, promotional products, technology, and more at the Campus Store.  

For convocation, the Campus Store takes care of gowning graduates. My role is in organizing the logistics leading up to convocation. This involves planning with the Registrar’s Office, ensuring we have enough gowns for all the ceremonies and coordinating deliveries. 

Kimberly Foottit: I’ve been at McMaster for over 22 years and I was a student here before that — I’ve spent half my life on campus!  I handle required supplies, stationery and giftware buying for the store.  

During convocation, I manage the gowning process on-site. We make sure each student is properly gowned and ready for their ceremony and then rehang the gowns afterwards so we’re ready for the next group.

There are multiple days of ceremonies, with many moving parts. It involves lots of coordination and teamwork within the Campus Store and with other departments. 

How did the Campus Store get into the business of gowning students for convocation? 

KF: The Campus Store has been involved in gowning students since at least the 1990s, if not earlier. It’s a tradition that has evolved over the years, and we’ve continued to refine the process to ensure everything runs smoothly. It’s a unique aspect of our role that we take great pride in. 

What’s something people might not know about the work your team does during convocation? 

DW: Many people might not realize the extensive planning and logistics involved. We start planning months in advance, coordinating with the Registrar’s Office and ensuring we have enough gowns and staff for all the ceremonies.  

We own approximately 600 gowns that need to be moved to First Ontario Concert Hall. On the day of graduation, students are gowned in one area before the ceremony, and drop off the gowns in another area afterwards.  

Between ceremonies, there is a lot of moving gowns back and forth behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly.  

KF: We have about five staff, we have an hour and a half to gown every student attending the convocation ceremony.  

They come to us nervous and excited. We are a bit like air traffic controllers — we let students know what to expect, where the bathrooms and coat check are, and stations they’ll visit before going into the hall.  

We sometimes adjust their outfits or fix their ties to make sure they look and feel great for their big moment.  

What do you enjoy most about your role in convocation? 

DW: I love interacting with the parents. It’s such an emotional day for them, seeing their children graduate. Hearing their stories and sharing in their joy is really special to me. 

KF: Our focus is on making the experience positive and seamless for the graduates.

We make sure that each student feels special and looks great for their ceremony. It’s a lot of detailed, behind-the-scenes work, but being part of such a significant moment in the students’ lives is incredibly rewarding.