From 12 Edits to 1: How Digital Programs & Tassel’s Platform Simplified Graduation at Hawai‘i Pacific University

David Barrowclough, University Registrar at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, knows firsthand how much pressure comes with getting commencement details right, because he’s been on both sides of the stage. He still remembers the ticket frenzy at his own graduation, the nerves around whether his last name would be pronounced correctly, and even the surreal experience of later working graduations at the same school where he earned both his degrees.

When David’s team took over commencement from the advancement office, they also inherited Tassel as part of the process. What could have easily felt like a daunting handoff ended up being far less intimidating than expected, and it didn’t take long for the team to feel confident using the platform. “It was an easy learning curve. With all the logistics of having to run a commencement ceremony from an office that hadn't run one before. Tassel was the thing we had to worry about least” David shared.

As a Tassel Expert customer, the HPU team has full access to the complete Tassel suite, including videos, ticketing, name pronunciation, and more. One of the newest additions to their process, Tassel’s digital program, quickly became a standout, dramatically reducing the time spent on edits and eliminating the need for costly printing.

From Twelve Rounds of Edits to Just One

Another game‑changer? Tassel’s new digital program tool. David’s team was among the first to pilot the new offering moving away from their old process. “We've had a nice printed program for years and were concerned that folks would be like, ‘I don't want to go digital’. I don't think we had one person who was upset or noticed it even” David shared. Part of what made the program so challenging for David’s team was how easily special Hawaiian characters could be misrepresented or swapped out during the editing process. Tassel helped smooth over these issues by generating accurate graduate lists directly from the data in the Hub, ensuring names and details stayed correct from the start and reducing the need for manual fixes.

“For me, the new process was amazing. The amount of work we were doing in house, the amount of editing back and forth and looking at names was overwhelming. I think we hit 12 rounds of edits, in May of 2025, so to have one edit cycle? Love it. Love it.”

By trying something new with digital programs, David’s team didn’t just modernize the experience, they freed up countless staff hours and eliminated the cost and stress of printing. With accurate data flowing directly from the Hub and far fewer opportunities for errors, the process became simpler, faster, and dramatically less labor‑intensive. The result was a program that looked great, honored every name correctly, and saved both time and budget when it mattered most.

Names, Ticketing, and Centralized Support

Name announcements are a central part of Tassel’s platform, and for David’s team, they’ve made a tangible difference, especially in Hawai‘i, where long, complex names and strong cultural expectations around pronunciation make getting it right non‑negotiable.

“Families and students were suspicious at first,” he said, referring to the AI name tools on the registration form. “But everyone has been very pleased…since they can now hear it back and reject or accept it, that's a big difference.” By giving students control over how their names are said, Tassel has reduced on‑stage errors, eliminated the anxiety of relying on deans who may be unfamiliar with some names to then have to read them aloud, and cut down on last‑minute stress so staff can stay focused on the stage crossing itself.

That same ease carried over into guest ticketing, another major pressure point for large Hawaiian ceremonies. With Tassel’s dashboard, David’s team could track ticket availability in real time, avoid confusion, and manage the flow of questions more efficiently.

“Just to have the Hub feature where they can go get tickets and have that centralized location has been helpful and a time saver.”

With a centralized Hub where students can RSVP, upload photos, record name pronunciations, access tickets, and more, Tassel made ceremony‑day logistics dramatically easier to manage. As David put it, “Just to be able to have the confidence of not having to worry about name readers is a win in itself. But all of the additional features have been just reason to keep with it too. I honestly don't know what we would do without it now.”

Looking Ahead

As HPU continues refining its commencement process, David is excited to keep building on what’s already working, and to see what’s next from Tassel. With new improvements on the horizon, especially around communications and graduate photos, he’s eager to continue evolving HPU’s commencement experience while saving his team even more time behind the scenes.

Conversations like this are always a reminder of why the work matters: when the right tools are in place, staff can spend less time managing logistics and more time helping students feel celebrated, supported, and seen on one of the biggest days of their lives.