How UVU Saved Money and Added Value Through Thoughtful Commencement Sponsorship

A new model for graduation sponsorships

Universities have always understood the value of sponsorship.

Look around campus and you see it everywhere: athletics, alumni events, career fairs, research symposiums, student conferences, performing arts, donor events, and community programs. The best university events are often supported by corporate partners who want to be aligned with the right students, the right programs, and the right institutional moments.

So we asked a simple question: Why not graduation?

Commencement is one of the most meaningful moments in higher education. It is the culmination of years of work. It brings together students, families, faculty, administrators, alumni, and the broader community. It is also one of the rare university experiences where attention is concentrated, emotional, and deeply positive.

Tassel partnered with Utah Valley University to test a simple idea: add a well‑aligned sponsor to their digital commencement program.

UVU saved money on commencement costs while also connecting their students with potential job opportunities and resources that were actually relevant to them.

Tasteful sponsorship that meets the moment

The best sponsorships don't feel like sponsorships when the right person is showing up at the right time.

That was the premise behind the UVU Nursing digital program sponsorship. UVU’s nursing graduates were preparing to enter one of the most important and in‑demand professions in the country. Nursa, a company focused on connecting nurses with flexible work opportunities, was looking to reach exactly that kind of audience.

For students, the sponsorship was a relevant, immediately useful resource at the exact moment they needed it most. For Nursa, it was direct access to a highly qualified, profession‑ready audience they couldn't reach more efficiently anywhere else. For UVU, it generated new revenue that went back into improving the student experience.

Quote from Stephanie Albach, UVU:

“I think this is a model other universities should be paying attention to. In this case, the sponsorship was not just about generating revenue - it was about connecting our nursing graduates with a relevant healthcare workforce partner as they prepared to take the next step in their careers.”

That's the sponsorship model we believe can work across higher education: not brand placement for its own sake, but meaningful connections between institutions, students, and the organizations that actually serve them.

Finding the right sponsorship partner

With commencement budgets tightening year over year, sponsorships could be a great way for schools to experiment with saving on commencement costs, while also putting useful information in front of students. However, if done poorly, a sponsorship could feel tacky.

To be clear, we’re not suggesting putting random ads in your program for the sake of sales or even cost savings alone. The right sponsor isn't selling something to graduates, they're offering them something that could actually be useful. UVU connecting its graduates with a company specializing in helping nurses find work opportunities is the perfect example of how this could be done right.

Want more examples of how we think this could be done right? A local employer sponsoring a business school ceremony makes sense. A healthcare system sponsoring a college of health sciences program makes sense. A regional bank sponsoring a first‑generation graduate celebration makes sense. A technology company sponsoring an engineering commencement program makes sense.

The key is alignment. The sponsor should fit the audience. The message should fit the moment. The design should feel native to the program. And the school should maintain control over what gets approved.

That's the standard Tassel and UVU had in mind when thinking about sponsorship fit. Coordinators using our digital program tool can offset costs by aligning with organizations that genuinely benefit their graduates, connecting them with employers, job platforms, and professional associations.

The right partner can make programs more useful to students and institutions, while still being aligned with what matters.

A better way to fund student experiences

Commencement budgets are real, and every dollar spent on printing and logistics is a dollar that isn't going back to students.

Digital programs change that equation. Schools now can not only save on printing, but with the right sponsorship partner that genuinely aligns with what graduates need next, schools can offset commencement costs entirely and reinvest those savings where they belong: in student services, programming, and experiences that actually matter.

That's what made the UVU partnership meaningful. Tassel was glad to help bring the idea to life, while giving UVU a way to make commencement more financially sustainable without compromising the experience.

When the right sponsor is in the room, it adds value.