How Baylor University Achieved Record Graduate Attendance With Tassel
Baylor University, a longtime Tassel customer since 2017, has used the platform’s Director stage crossing software to run their many ceremonies each year during the fall, summer, and spring commencement seasons. Sandra Groves, who has managed Baylor's graduation ceremonies since 2020, identified last year significant challenges in graduate communication and attendance—especially as ceremonies evolved in complexity and scale.
The spring 2025 commencement season was going to be Baylor's largest yet post pandemic. Recognizing the need for better graduate engagement, her team decided to expand their use of Tassel’s platform to include the Hub event management software, with hopes to proactively ensure smoother ceremonies and improve attendance.
The expansion gave Sandra’s team access to a variety of planning tools including graduate registration, task tracking and timelines, graduate data management, data reporting, and an array of graduate communication tools.
Integrated Communications with Tassel
The most pressing issue for Baylor was unpredictable attendance, with Groves noting that they typically had over 100 graduates failing to attend their ceremonies. This uncertainty made it difficult to plan effectively and created a less polished experience for everyone involved.
"This was the first time we used the Tassel Hub this past May," Groves explained, noting that despite being their inaugural rollout, "it went really well… we had three ceremonies with under 30 no‑shows, which is a first," Groves reported.
That shift marked a significant improvement—achieving a 70% decrease in unanticipated absences. For Baylor, this meant smoother operations, more accurate seating and name reading, and a more seamless experience for both graduates and guests.
The Hub's integrated communication system proved to be a game‑changer for graduate engagement. Through strategic messaging campaigns, Groves achieved remarkable participation rates. She described how she sent targeted follow‑up communications to students who hadn’t filled out their graduation registration form through Tassel. “I kept messaging them. I had four emails coming up telling them it's going to close in a week," Groves explained. “We had 3% not fill out the form out of 4,000 students.” Her proactive approach resulted in a 97% completion rate among graduates.
When asked directly whether the Hub improved attendance, her response was unequivocal: "Definitely, because I was able to message them."
Streamlining Graduation with the Tassel Hub
Another one of the most appreciated features was the “Family and Friends” communication option, which addressed a long‑standing gap in Baylor's graduation process. This is an optional section that can be added to the graduate registration form, allowing graduates to send an email to their family and friends with details about their upcoming ceremony. "I probably got 15 thank you emails from parents for the family and friends, which was nice," Groves shared. This feature not only improved family satisfaction but also reduced the administrative burden on staff who previously fielded numerous individual requests for ceremony information.
The Hub also streamlined several operational aspects that had previously required manual intervention. The phonetic name tools made a noticeable difference for the live name readers. “We have two readers. One’s an actor, so he likes to hear names aloud and repeat it. The other guy's a linguistic guy. He loved the phonetics report,” Groves explained. By providing pronunciation guidance before the ceremony, both readers were able to prepare in the way that worked best for them, leading to more confident and accurate name announcements on stage.
The success didn't go unnoticed at the institutional level. "Our president was very impressed with the ceremony," Groves reported, emphasizing how the improved organization and predictable attendance contributed to overall ceremony quality.
Looking forward
Looking ahead, Baylor University has firmly committed to continuing their partnership with Tassel as their primary graduate communication platform. "The president liked RSVP. I did, too. We will continue to use the Hub. That's really our messaging now to our students," Groves confirmed.
The university recognizes that their first implementation was just the beginning of optimizing their graduation processes. "I think for our first rollout... That was the largest graduation we've had since COVID, it went really smoothly. I was very happy with it," Groves reflected, adding that "I think the more I get in there and use Tassel, I'll learn more." She anticipates that future ceremonies will be even more efficient as both staff and students become more familiar with the system.
As Groves concluded about their experience: "Everything works very well for what we use it for. So very happy with y'all... And just excited about this new Hub. The messaging options make it very functional." The success of Baylor's first full implementation of Tassel Hub, namely reducing no‑shows by 70% and achieving 97% graduate engagement, demonstrates how the right technology platform can transform traditional graduation processes, creating better experiences for graduates, families, and institutional staff while delivering measurable improvements in attendance and satisfaction.