Join us for our livestream coverage — beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 25 — of the 159th �ֲ���ý College Commencement as we celebrate the accomplishments of the �ֲ���ý Class of 2025.

Watch �ֲ���ý faculty and staff share their congratulations with the Class of 2025.

Want to show your Bobcat pride? Celebrate your graduate with these lawn sign designs. Just download and order through your local copy & print business. Download the printable PDF to see the complete collection.

Printable Lawn Sign for 2025 Families

• Download the PDF 12×18
• Download the PDF 18×24

Thumbnail previews of each option:

Social Media Frames

Want to show your Bobcat pride? Celebrate your graduate with these lawn sign designs. Just download and order through your local copy & print business. Download the printable PDF to see the complete collection.

Printable Lawn Sign for 2024 Families

• Download the PDF 12×18
• Download the PDF 18×24

Thumbnail previews of each option:

Social Media Frames

Last updated: Jan. 9, 2024

We are looking forward to welcoming �ֲ���ý families and friends to campus in May to celebrate the Class of 2024. We will continue to update this website as more details are confirmed.

If you have any questions, email Christine Schwartz at cschwart@bates.edu

• What, where, when
• The Commencement livestream
• Visitor policy 

What, where, when

When is �ֲ���ý Commencement 2024?

The 158th Commencement of �ֲ���ý College will take place on Sunday, May 26, 2024, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending shortly after noon on the Coram Library Terrace on the Historic Quad.

What activities are planned for students prior to Commencement? Will the college do anything special to recognize the unusual college experience of the Class of 2024?

A schedule overview of events for Commencement week can be found on our Commencement website. There are a number of events all week for students, as well as events for families toward the end of the week.

Throughout winter semester, seniors will hear from their co-class presidents about how they would like the class to celebrate the culmination of their time at �ֲ���ý. Please encourage your senior to share their input, participate in decisions regarding programs for Senior Week, and connect with their class leaders about anything special they are interested in proposing so this is a truly class-centered moment.

Are tickets required for the Commencement ceremony? Is there a limit on how many guests graduating seniors may invite to attend Commencement itself?

Tickets are not required, and there is no limit on the number of guests graduating seniors may invite to Commencement.

Where do families and guests sit? What time should they arrive?

Families and friends may sit in any areas not marked as reserved. Please ask an usher if you are unsure. Family members can arrive as early as 7 a.m. to begin selecting seats.

If you wish to hold seats with jackets, etc., a person from your party must remain with your held seats. Unattended seats are not considered held, even if you leave items on the chairs.

We ask that all guests arrive and take their seats by 9:15 a.m. to view the Commencement procession.

Where do graduating seniors sit during the ceremony?

Seniors are seated in front of the stage in reserved seating alphabetically according to their last name. Seniors with the last name A-K will sit on the right side, and seniors with the last name L-Z will sit on the left as you are facing the stage.

Will Commencement Weekend be accessible for people with disabilities?

Yes, �ֲ���ý strives to make Commencement accessible. There is accessible parking behind the Bonney Science Center, and there is a small accessible drop-off zone on Campus Avenue next to Carnegie Science Hall.

At Baccalaureate on Saturday and at Commencement on Sunday, there will be accessible seating on the Historic Quad. Families who need this seating should look for chairs with blue covers. On Sunday, staff ushers can also help you find accessible seating.

If you anticipate barriers or would like to request an accommodation related to any of the planned programs, activities, or materials, please reach out to Brenda Pelletier, Associate Director of Conferences and Campus Events at bpelleti@bates.edu or 207-786-6400.

Will there be a professional photographer taking pictures during the ceremony?

Professional photographers from GradImages will photograph each senior as they receive their diploma and while leaving the stage. Approximately two weeks after Commencement, notification with details on how to access their proofs will be sent directly to each graduate who has provided the college with their post-�ֲ���ý email address.

When do graduating seniors need to move out of their dorms?

Graduating seniors should plan to move out of their dorms by 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 26. Please contact the Residence Life and Health Education Office at reslife@bates.edu for any questions or concerns regarding the move-out process.

If graduates have a sibling who is a �ֲ���ý student, can the sibling stay in campus housing through Commencement?

Siblings of graduating seniors who wish to remain in their campus housing through Commencement should reach out to reslife@bates.edu to request approval. All siblings should note that attendance at senior week events is limited to seniors only.

Will families be allowed in campus buildings during Commencement weekend?

Families will be allowed to enter the following buildings in order to access bathroom facilities:

• Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building
• Commons
• Dana
• Gomes Chapel
• Hathorn
• Ladd Library
• Merrill Gym

Families will be able to access specific student residences as permitted by the Office of Residence Life during student move-out hours.

What dining options will be available for students and their families?

Dining at the end of Commencement week expands to include options for families who have arrived for the festivities.

Friday May 24 

• 8-10 a.m.: Breakfast (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)
• 12-2 p.m.: Lunch (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)
• 5-7 p.m.: Dinner (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)
• 8:30-10:00 p.m.: Senior/Parent Wine and Cheese Tasting (Perry Atrium, no charge for seniors and their families)

Saturday May 25

• 8-10 a.m.:  Continental Breakfast  (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)
• 12:30-2:30 p.m.: Lunch (Commons, open to seniors, their families, and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required for students. Families use one of their senior’s guest passes or pay with a credit card. The cost for guests is $12 per person.)
• 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Dinner (Commons, open to seniors, their families, and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required for students. Families can use one of their senior’s guest passes or pay with a credit card. The dinner cost for guests is $14 per person.)
• 12:30-1:30 a.m.: Senior Breakfast (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)

Sunday May 26

• 7-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast (Commons, open to seniors and underclass students who have approval to remain on campus. �ֲ���ý ID required.)
• 7-8:30 a.m.: Coffee service for families (Library Arcade)
• 12-2 p.m.: Traditional Commencement Lunch (in front of Commons and under the Bardwell field tent, open to seniors and their families)

Will there be water available on campus?

Water will be available during all events. Look for the canoes under the garnet feather flags along Alumni Walk, on the Historic Quad, and in other high-visit areas.

What will the weather be like? How should I dress?

May weather in Maine is quite variable. You should plan to bring clothing that is appropriate for rain and cool temperatures, as well as for warm weather. Please remember the ceremony is outside, so we recommend wearing shoes suitable for walking on wet grass.

What happens in the case of inclement weather?

Commencement is outside — rain or shine — but in the case of thunder or lightning, the ceremony will be paused. Guests will be directed to the Gray Cage and Alumni Gym, students to Commons, and faculty to the Perry Atrium until the ceremony can be resumed.

Where can I purchase Commencement gifts?

The �ֲ���ý College Store .

Can I fly a drone over the event?

No. Unmanned Aerial Systems, i.e., drones, are prohibited at all times.

Can I bring my pet to campus?

Pets are prohibited inside all campus buildings and at all dining events. Service animals are welcome.

The Commencement livestream

How can I watch the livestream?

The livestream will be publicly available so friends and family members will be able to watch on a wide array of platforms.

• �ֲ���ý Website: bates.edu/live 
• Facebook:
• LinkedIn:
• Instagram:
• YouTube:

All platforms, with the exception of Instagram Live, will afford the same viewer experience. With a four-camera setup, the livestream will show everything that takes place!

Will I be able to view the video afterward?

Yes. After the livestream concludes, the video will be available on demand on Facebook, , and bates.edu/commencement/live.

What time will the livestream begin?

The livestream will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. with the procession starting at 9:30 a.m. and the Commencement ceremony starting at 10:00 a.m.

How can families and loved ones participate in the Commencement livestream?

Our goal is to use all elements of social media to help a wide range of families and loved ones join this event in the virtual space. The event will be available on the , allowing audience members to share in real-time their congratulations and shout-outs.

If you wish, friends and family members may post Commencement content to your own personal social media and tag the official @batescollege accounts, which then may be shared to the entire �ֲ���ý community.

Leading up to Commencement, family members and loved ones can contribute a sentiment to the seniors, and it will appear on the #�ֲ���ý2024 aggregation page within the hour. 

Will I experience connectivity issues, as I do with video conferencing?

�ֲ���ý has successfully streamed past Commencements through the Facebook platform and it has proven reliable and accessible. There still could be hiccups based on your local internet speed and signal strength.

Visitor policy 

What are the public health guidelines for participants and guests at Commencement 2024?

�ֲ���ý is a mask-optional campus. If visitors have concerns about their own health risk factors related to attending mask-optional college events, they should seek guidance from their primary care physician.

Members of our community may choose to wear a mask at any time for any reason, including and not limited to their own level of comfort, personal medical status, family medical status, or personal risk. We encourage you to be courteous and respectful with regard to the needs and choices of others about masking. 

Monday May 20, 2024

• 5:30p-7:00p (Gray Cage)
  • Farewell Celebration for Seniors and Faculty 

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

• Short Term Ends
• 2:00p-4:00p (Perry Atrium)
  • Short Term Showcase

Thursday, May 23, 2024

• By 5:00p
  • Underclass students depart

Friday, May 24, 2024

• 8:00a-10:00a (Commons)
  • Breakfast (Students Only)
• 9:30a (Garcelon Field)
  • Senior Class Photo
• 10:00a-12:00n (Historic Quad)
  • Mandatory Commencement Rehearsal – Caps and Gowns will be handed out at rehearsal. Senior Survey must be completed to receive Cap and Gown.
• 12:00n-2:00p (Commons)
  • Lunch (Students Only)
• 12:00n – 12:30p (Historic Quad)
  • Platform Party Rehearsal
• 12:30p-3:00p (Historic Quad)
  • Baccalaureate Rehearsal 

• 5:00p-7:00p (Olin Arts Center)
  • Induction Ceremonies
    • 4:00p-5:00p Phi Beta Kappa
    • 5:15-6:15p College Key
• 5:00p-7:00p (Commons)
  • Dinner (Students Only)
• 8:00p-8:45p (Chase Hall)
  • Families of the Class of 2024 Collaborative Work Space Opening Celebration
• 8:30p- 10:00p (Perry Atrium)
  • Senior/Parent Wine and Cheese Tasting 

Saturday, May 25, 2024

• 8:30a-10:00a (Benjamin Mays Center)
  • Psychology Continental Breakfast
• 9:00a-10:00a (Pettengill 260)
  • Sociology Continental Breakfast
• 8:30a-9:30a (Commons)
  • Continental Breakfast (Students Only)
• 8:30a-11:00a (Library Arcade)
  • Coffee Services for Families
• 10:30a (Alumni Walk)
  • Seniors line-up for Baccalaureate – Wear Cap and Gown
• 11:00a- 12:30p ( Historic Quad Rain or Shine)
  • Baccalaureate Service
• 12:30p-2:30p (Commons)
  • Lunch in Commons – Open to Student & Families (Families use one of their senior’s remaining guest passes or pay with a credit card. The lunch cost for guests is $12 per person.)
• 5:30p-7:30p (Commons)
  • Dinner in Commons – Open to Student & Families (Families use one of their senior’s remaining guest passes or pay with a credit card. The dinner cost for guests is $14 per person.)

Sunday, May 26, 2024

• 12:30a- 1:30a (Commons)
  • Senior Breakfast (Students Only)
• 7:00a-8:30a (Commons)
  • Breakfast (Students Only)
• 7:00a-8:30a (Library Arcade)
  • Coffee Service for Families 
• 8:30a (Alumni Walk)
  • Line-Up for Commencement – Wear Cap and Gown
• 10a-12:00n (Historic Quad – Rain or Shine)
  • Commencement 
• 12n-2:00p
  • Picnic lunch for graduates and their families (Bardwell Field Tent in front of Commons)

As bleary-eyed seniors slowly arrived at Alumni Walk on Commencement morning, �ֲ���ý multimedia producer Theophil Syslo was there, inviting them to pose for slow-motion video portraits.

Slow no more! They stepped right up, exhibiting unfiltered excitement and pride as they posed, individually and with friends, in front of a backdrop set up on Alumni Walk.

The setting creates “a frame within a frame,” Syslo says. “It’s kind of like preparing a small stage for a performance and a fun way to engage with students for one last moment before they move on with their journey.”

This year’s Baccalaureate speaker is described as a “mythical wise wizard, like Gandalf the Grey — effusive and emphatically excited.”

That’s only partly why the Class of 2023 chose Christopher Schiff, the college’s reference librarian for music and the arts, as their Baccalaureate speaker. Mostly, it was for another quality described by Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain whose office oversees Baccalaureate. 

Schiff, she said in her introduction, is “simply a really, really good listener.”

At �ֲ���ý, the Ladd Library reference desk sits right across from the front entrance of Ladd, so Schiff and his colleagues are familiar faces to �ֲ���ý students — not to mention friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Like any good librarian, Schiff offers students the nuts and bolts of finding stuff, “wisdom on how to research, structure, and write about the arts and music,” said Longsdorf. 

Watch the �ֲ���ý Baccalaureate address by Chris Schiff on May 27, 2023:

“But he also has a boundless tender heart in helping students as they sift through challenging subject matter, which as we all know can often illuminate personal challenges in the process.”

As he took to the lectern on Saturday, Schiff told the seniors that the topics they’ve researched together “have been mind-boggling, everything from secret societies to sacred poetry to the genetics of the taste of cilantro.”

And it’s always been a joy. “I have loved learning from you, and loved even more those moments when you just stopped by to say ‘hi’ or made sure to wave hello across the lobby even though you were rushing to another appointment.” 

Schiff and his colleagues serve as reminders that knowledge begins and ends with human connection. “Over the last four years you have paid me the greatest honor that I will ever be paid: You asked me for help when you needed it most, and you put your faith in me that I would help you find the right answer,” said Schiff.

In his address, Schiff used a line from John Fowles’ postmodern novel, The Magus, as his theme: “Which do you drink? The water or the wave?”

“I suspect that you thought that getting an education was going to be like drinking water… sensible and predictable,” Schiff said. But of course it was not, mostly because of the tsunami that was COVID.

In high school, when Schiff was asked the water/wave question, he answered, “without any hesitation, that I was going to drink the water.”

And he did. “So long as you ignore the year in the punk band, and dancing in musical theater, and the year on a good old-fashioned assembly line, and the seven or so years washing dishes.”

Every time Schiff tried to reach for a metaphorical glass of water, “the next step in my planned and logical college career, it was a mirage. It would recede into the distance, and instead I would find myself facing chaotic turmoil: the metaphorical wave.”

Some of the waves that tossed Schiff about are similar to the ones that have crashed into �ֲ���ý seniors. “Lack of money, lack of focus, the need to help family members, a changing world that didn’t seem to value my contribution.”

But, he added, “I had it incredibly easy…. I lived in a world where there were answers to some of the difficulties — the waves — that I faced. My deadlines were flexible, so I could wait for my moment. I could call on family and friends for  help when I was out of resources. 

“The wave faced by you, Class of 2023, has been everything I faced plus a multitude of forces  much more powerful than any I have ever experienced.”

The lesson lies in realizing that “we don’t get to choose logical progression over chaos,” Schiff told them. “Chaos and turmoil are always around us.” Risk takers might enjoy the wave, but as human beings, we can’t survive on chaos and turmoil alone.

“The only answer to the question, which do you drink, the water or the waves, is that we drink both,” he said. Think of baccalaureate as the wonderful moment on the beach “when the waves crest and begin to break all around us.”

“Remember this feeling,” Schiff said, and paused for a beat.

“The wave is and will be here for you and it is the wave that brings water alive. Drink the wave.”

“A great, unpretentious, family-style Commencement!” is how a livestream viewer from Santa Fe, N.M., described this year’s �ֲ���ý graduation ceremony.

The 157th gathering of the �ֲ���ý family dawned bright and blue — soon to be hot, in the 80s — as family, friends, and loved ones began to arrive as early as 5 a.m. to secure seating. Graduates-to-be made their way onto Alumni Walk after 8 a.m., some bleary-eyed, some bushy-tailed, but all ready to step onto the Coram Library Terrace, their �ֲ���ý diploma awaiting before them.

Here’s how Commencement went, hour by hour, on May 28, 2023.

7:41 a.m. Taking wing

A flock of Canada geese wing their way across campus, a foreshadowing of the upcoming taking-off of the Class of 2023 from their �ֲ���ý nest.

7:45 a.m. Sorted, sorters

Associate registrar Zach Dumont (left) and registrar Megan McHenry do a pre-Commencement check on the diplomas, which wait, alphabetically, to be handed to members of the Class of 2023.

7:52 a.m. Early bird gets the… seat?

Hui Zhang, father of senior Zechen Zhang of Beijing, arrived at 5 a.m. to secure “the best place” to see his son receive his diploma. “Today is a big day for my family,” he said.

Nearby, Heidi Williams is also guarding seats in a shady spot, while knitting a baby blanket for a church fair. She knits for her grandchildren, too, including Jackson Williams ’23 of Cumberland, who will be processing across the Historic Quad in a few hours. “Four years went by very fast. It’s just amazing,” she says.

8:10 a.m. ‘Great friends’

A few rows across the Quad, Neil Delehey, father of Hazel Delehey ’23 of Camden, Maine, is sharing a rare in-person moment with Sean Ryan ’85, father of Katia Ryan ’23 of Amsterdam, N.Y.

The two have become friends during their time as �ֲ���ý parents. “Great friends,” says Ryan, and Delehey laughs.

Now Ryan is thinking about ways he can still stay connected to �ֲ���ý, since “having Katia here always gave me the excuse to come back.” As for Katia? “She’ll be fine,” he says. “She did well here, I’m sure she’ll do fine in whatever comes next.”

8:35 a.m. Sunshine by delivery

Anita LaRue-McAfee, mother of Dylan McAfee ’23 of Washington, D.C., is carrying a cup of iced coffee for another parent in front of Coram Library. She just saw her daughter — the “best part” of her morning so far. “We’re just overjoyed. Overjoyed for her, overjoyed for the class.” Like many of her classmates, “she’s had her ups and downs, but she’s doing well.

“Every single parent here is excited. They’re ready to do a jig!”

8:42 a.m. Bird in the hand

Neuroscience major Olivia Whittaker ’23 of Biddeford, Maine, holds her graduation cap, displaying the seal of Tufts University, where she’ll be attending medical school in the fall.

8:45 a.m. So far, so swimmingly

A group of swimmers take a selfie during the senior lineup. From left, Nathan Berry ’23 of Augusta, Maine, Abigail Gibbons ’23 of Westtown, N.Y., Dylan McAfee ’23 of Washington, D.C., and Liam Conklin ’23 of Newton Highlands, Mass.

8:47 a.m. Blue eyes, blue skies

These bright blue eyes belong to Rollo, a sociable 7-month-old corgi named after the first Duke of Normandy, a Viking said to be too tall to ride a horse. “His short legs were the inspiration for the name,” says his owner, Liya Simon ’25 of Durham, Conn.

Simon and Olivia Siegal are working on getting the pre-Commencement wiggles out of Rollo, rolling around in the grass.

Olivia is at �ֲ���ý to watch her sister, Annie Siegal ’23 of Brookline, Mass., graduate, and Liya is here to celebrate �ֲ���ý friends who are graduating. 

8:53 a.m. Roll call

Senior Associate Dean of Students Molly Newton is among the team making sure that the seniors are in alphabetical order as they line up on Alumni Walk for Commencement.

8:56 a.m. A little light reading

Eric Fleischmann ‘23, a double major in philosophy and anthropology from Chatham, Mass., reads Bertell Ollman’s Dance of the Dialectic: Steps in Marx’s Method while waiting to process on Alumni Walk. He’s reading it for pleasure, “a good introduction to Das Kapital,” he said.

8:59 a.m. Thematic tie-in

One senior sports a Bobcat-emblazoned tie, alongside a garnet �ֲ���ý College stole.

9:13 a.m. (Literally) sharing a bite

Alek Zelbo ’23 of New York City and Jaff Gao ’23 of Cypress, Texas, enjoy their last breakfast sandwich from Forage, a downtown Lewiston bistro, as they line up on Alumni Walk.

9:15 a.m. Custom stole

Track and cross-country letterwinner Owen Glover ’23 of Andover, Mass., got the idea to wear his track shoes with his regalia two days earlier, during graduation practice, as he was whiling away time with classmates. “Last time I will wear them,” he said. “Bittersweet.”

9:21 a.m. ‘Waiting for the storm to settle’

As the final roll call makes its way down the line of graduates, Kush Sharma of South Burlington, Vt., steps out of the sun and into the shade.

“There are a lot of emotions, and I think the processing part is going to come later. I’m someone who likes to process and reflect in real time as much as possible, but there has been no scope for that, so I’m waiting for the storm to settle down a bit so I can be like, ‘What the hell just happened?!’”

9:30 a.m. The procession commences

James Reese, associate dean of students for international student programs, joins junior class marshals Ella Blum ’24 (left) of South Salem, N.Y., and Emma Upton ’24 of Amherst, N.H., in leading the Class of 2023 on the traditional route from Alumni Walk to the Historic Quad.

“It’s kind of like a practice, you know?” says Blum. “It feels very surreal to be walking in a graduation that is not my own,” especially since Blum’s own high school graduation was pretty much wiped out by COVID. “But I’m really lucky. My best friend is a graduating senior, so to get to be here with her is really special.”

9:38 a.m. Lifting the mood

Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary Rice-DeFosse carries out her role at the mace bearer, leading the academic procession past Gomes Chapel.

10:21 a.m. Job well done

Rishi Madnani descends the Coram Library porch after delivering his speech as the senior speaker.

“Definitely not running on much sleep right now, but we’ve got caffeine,” Madnani said earlier in the morning, after spending his final night as a �ֲ���ý student celebrating with friends, and then hiked Mount David for the sunrise. “It was nice, very emotional. This is surreal, I’m not really registering it yet, the gravitas.”

Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelley-Romano worked with him on his speech. “She helped me make it a little more speech-like, with structure and all that. I’m really happy with where it is right now.”

10:32 a.m. I heart you

Shankar Vedantam expresses his love for the �ֲ���ý community after being presented with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by President Clayton Spencer.

10:38 a.m. Bend a little

Commencement speaker J. Drew Lanham crouches a bit as Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary Rice-DeFosse adjusts his honorary doctorate hood.

10:43 a.m. All quiet on the Quad

A packed Historic Quad listens as Commencement Speaker J. Drew Lanham delivers his remarks.

11:12 a.m. 100 percent certified graduate

After returning to his seat, Mohamed Diawara ’23 of Philadelphia sneaks a peek at his diploma.

11:18 a.m. Tap for good luck

Imti Hassan ’23 of Portland, Maine, taps the Class of 1932 Sundial for good luck, a new tradition at Commencement. Hassan, a politics and history double major, is one of this year’s Fulbright Student award winners, receiving an English Teaching Assistant award for Taiwan.

Hassan’s interest in Taiwan began as a child in Portland, thanks to a Taiwanese neighbor, who introduced her to Taiwanese culture. Hassan became proficient in Chinese at Portland High School and continued her studies at �ֲ���ý. “I hope to inspire students by sharing my family traditions, my language, and my hobbies.”

11:25 a.m. Pointed towards success

Ali Manning ’23 of Sydney, Australia, engages enthusiastically in the tapping tradition.

11:33 a.m. A space between moments

Spencer shakes the hand of Martha Reyes ’23 of Los Angeles.

Watching it all is the Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain, who will offer the benediction at the conclusion of Commencement.

“I get to really see each face as they get a diploma, and that’s just such a beautiful moment, one of my favorite parts of the whole year, the way they light up.”

In her benediction, Longsdorf spoke of the moment as “an intentional pause, a moment between moments. In this space between, I invite you to call to mind each soul who walked this journey with you — family, mentors, teachers, staff members, friends — and send them gratitude with a gentle smile and by taking a deep breath.”

11:33 a.m. Hip-hip, hurrah!

Family, friends, and loved ones gathered at one end of the Coram Library porch to wave and cheer at the new graduates as they exit the stage, diploma in hand.

11:42 a.m. Ending with a ‘Z’

Spencer shakes the hand of Leah Zukosky ’23 of St. Louis, the final �ֲ���ý graduate of her tenure as the college’s eighth president,

For the record, Spencer has shaken 3,728 hands at Commencements since 2013. Cutting into the total was virtual 2020 (no handshakes) and mostly-no-shake 2021.

The first graduate she congratulated, in 2013, was Hakimah Abdul-Fattah ’13, a Fulbright winner and now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.

11:52 a.m. Capping it off

Relieved and exuberant, members of the Class of 2023 toss their mortarboards in the air, punctuating the end of Commencement with a cheer.

11:52 a.m. Wrapping it up

Spencer turns to a camera during the Commencement recessional. At left is mace bearer and Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary Rice-Defosse, and at right is Commencement speaker Drew Lanham.

12:02 p.m. Diploma: check!

Sam Jean-Francois ’23 of Medford, Mass., waves to family and friends, proudly waving a shiny new diploma.

Had Benjamin Mays not ventured north to �ֲ���ý to seek self-emancipation more than a century ago, Sunday’s graduation ceremonies would have looked much different, said �ֲ���ý Commencement speaker J. Drew Lanham.

The thought dawned on him this very morning, Lanham said. A world without Mays, the 1920 �ֲ���ý graduate known as the Schoolmaster of the Moment for mentoring Martin Luther King Jr., would today likely be a “world where I am not standing here now,” said Lanham, a scholar, author, and self-described “bird-loving Black kid” who grew up in South Carolina.

Invoking Mays was a crowd-pleasing moment during Sunday’s graduation, which saw degrees conferred on 439 graduates who gathered in front of Coram Library with family and friends and �ֲ���ý professors and staff on a warm, sunny morning. 

But the nod to Mays was more than just a gesture; it was a central part of Lanham’s message about how we should live our lives with a shared pursuit of freedom and a full-circle mindset: “360-degrees around, beginning to end, me to you, and all that we connect to, every azimuth and degree in between, person to person, stranger to friend.”

The complete video of �ֲ���ý Commencement on May 28, 2023

At Sunday’s ceremony, Lanham, who holds the Alumni Distinguished Professorship in Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University and is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, also received an honorary degree. He was praised in the degree citation as “expert on birds and an artist with words — dedicated to the proposition that the natural world we all inhabit is meant to be experienced fully and joyfully by all people — despite the barriers that too often prevent this.” 

Lanham was joined by fellow honorands Michael Lewis, the award-winning author of such books as The Big Short, The Blind Side, and Moneyball; Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of The HistoryMakers, the preeminent archive of African American oral histories; and Shankar Vedantam, who is renowned for his Hidden Brain podcast and radio series.

This year’s 439 graduates represent 39 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and 38 countries. Eleven percent are the first in their family to graduate from college, and 44 percent studied abroad. Twenty-six seniors earned departmental honors for their senior thesis, and three seniors completed two honors theses each. Among the graduates, 47.2 percent were varsity athletes.

What’s next?

Only seven of the college’s 157 commencements have been hosted by a president in their final year in office, and this was one of them, as Clayton Spencer will step down as the college’s eighth president on June 30. 

In her welcoming remarks, Spencer acknowledged the connection that she and the Class of 2023 have, both heading out into something new and/or unknown.

“Everyone I run into has the same question: ‘What’s next for you?’” Spencer said. And like a senior being quizzed about their next step but not having a snappy answer, Spencer said she got “kind of stressed and a little irritated” that everyone seemed to expect that the outgoing �ֲ���ý president surely would be ready for her next act, even after running a college for 11 years, a stretch that included a global pandemic. “Don’t I get to just do nothing for maybe a summer?” she asked.

From a practical standpoint, Spencer suggested that “I’ve got a few irons in the fire” is often “sufficiently vague to deter the over-eager questioner.”

But in terms of the larger question, should a senior (or even Spencer) feel that they should have their life all figured out? “Emphatically, ‘No,’” she told the seniors.

“As you face the blank canvas of your 20s… resist the temptation to panic and grab for premature clarity or a narrative that sounds impressive…but really isn’t you,” Spencer said. “If you pause and look within yourself, I’m pretty sure you will find the confidence and patience to take things one step at a time and build your way toward your own true version of a life of meaning and purpose.”

Every step forward, however small or seemingly insignificant, “is a step you will learn from,” she said. “You will learn practical skills — like how to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and get suited up for work, or how to eat healthy meals when you can’t just swipe into Commons.”

There will be existential lessons, “like how to deal with difficult housemates or colleagues, how to cope with not being valued in a space, or not seen at all. You may learn, as well, that whatever you’re doing at any given moment is the farthest thing from what you want to do with your life. And the great news is, in the decade of your 20s, there is plenty of time for do-overs and re-invention.”

For the record, Spencer has shaken 3,728 hands at Commencements since 2013, with virtual 2020 (no handshakes) and mostly-no-shake 2021 cutting into the total. The first graduate she congratulated, in 2013, was Hakimah Abdul-Fattah ’13, Fulbright winner and now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. The final handshake today was with Leah Zukosky of St. Louis.

‘One of your own is our �Ƿɲ�’

Lanham started his address by expressing gratitude for the honor of being a Commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient, that “you would honor me, my family, and a long line of ancestors who worked, who toiled for hundreds of years by force and not choice for this moment.

“Their bitter sacrifice leads me to this sweetness, a bird-loving black kid with maternal roots and shoots in a little known and seldom seen place called Ninety Six, S.C.”

“Ninety Six Creek to the Androscoggin River. My Piedmont clay to your rocky shore. Full circle, �ֲ���ý. I hope you’re beginning to feel that with me.”

Drew Lanham

The connection between �ֲ���ý, Lanham, and Benjamin Mays has a nexus in that town, Ninety Six, where Mays himself was born and lived and was “my mama’s neighbor, a mile up the road,” Lanham said. Ninety Six “is where one of your own is our own.”

It’s all more than a coincidence, said Lanham. Mays, “a man who has come before me but whom I never knew but was close to me as family, speaks through me at this moment. Ninety Six Creek to the Androscoggin River. My Piedmont clay to your rocky shore. Full circle, �ֲ���ý. I hope you’re beginning to feel that with me.”

For his theme and message, Lanham drew on one of Mays’ most famous statements. �ֲ���ý, said Mays, “made it possible for me to emancipate myself, to accept with dignity my own worth as a free man,” a concept that is now baked into the �ֲ���ý mission statement, which promises that �ֲ���ý is dedicated to “the emancipating potential of the liberal arts.”

The emancipating potential of education, said Lanham, should teach us all that “what’s been done wrong should not be doubled down on by denial to repeat the sins again and again. That’s called ignorance. That’s the opposite of what you’ve been here to achieve. And so I know that what you will promote past this day is actually called education.”

At the same time, education means that “we don’t say what happened in the past and get over it. We acknowledge the truth to go forward. That is what I call critical fact theory,” to which the audience responded with a resounding cheer.

Freedom is “as an inalienable and emergent force, a seed inside each one of us waiting to burst forth and to grow.”

Drew Lanham

And if education has the power of self-emancipation and freedom, said Lanham, “the question that hangs out there then is, what does that freedom look like?”

For Lanham the ornithologist and naturalist, “it’s about wildness. It’s about finding these spaces unencumbered and untethered, where I can watch and not be watched to prosecutorial effect.” With wildness in mind, Lanham asked his audience to “think about freedom as an inalienable and emergent force, a seed inside each one of us waiting to burst forth and to grow.”

Thinking about freedom as an unalienable and emergent force, he said, means to “be able to look full on in the mirror without hesitation and love who is looking back. Freedom is that seed planted to form root and shoot, grown into a mighty oak. Freedom is that head and heart space that turns us loose to roam the hinterlands of our own imaginations. 

“Freedom is head to heart to hand and back again. That is full circle, �ֲ���ý. It is a place where discovery lurks around the hairpin turns on life’s path. Freedom is curiosity’s valve stuck on full flow.”

“Freedom is also about being shoulder to shoulder, together with me to be more than we can be alone.” 

Drew Lanham

Freedom isn’t just reading banned books. “Freedom is reading a library full of them and then making sure those who would ban them get banned by vote from banning ever again,” he said, which prompted a round of applause. “Freedom is writing the book that others would ban if they could, but can’t.” 

“Freedom is building the library where there is none. Freedom is leaving me alone to be who I am, dress how I want, control my body’s being without outside interference. Freedom is also about being shoulder to shoulder, together with me to be more than we can be alone.” 

Lanham closed by asking the audience to embark on a shared mission, asking them to repeat a vow: “To be better, to do better, to bring my being, my community, the environment, humanity, and this world to better than it has been. To be an arc in the bigger circle. For without me, the circle cannot be.”

Senior Address

In his Senior Address, Rishi Madnani of Langhorne, Pa., gave a nod to Spencer by quipping, “Did we print Clayton a diploma?!”

Madnani used the metaphor of an in-vitro cell culture — controlled environments for growing cells — to describe the �ֲ���ý community. “As incoming stem cells, each of us brought a unique genetic and molecular profile to the table: our similarities, and our differences, brought us together to form an impressively cohesive socio-cellular infrastructure.”

Assisting in this cultural development, “certain growth factors were added along the way: whether they were the intellectual stimulation of anthropology class, the timeless enjoyment of a cappella, or the vehement sense of purpose instilled in us through student government. These molecules activated signaling pathways which have helped us differentiate into the specialized cells that we are today.”

Making those reactions possible were enzymes: faculty and staff, who “served as biological catalysts without which life would never be possible.” (Getting a laugh, he added, “we also ingested a few molecules that aren’t exactly the best for growing cells, but I’d be lying if I said we didn’t create incredible memories along the way.”)

But even as the cells in a culture differentiate, “the sequence of the DNA in their nucleus remains the same —  they never forget where they came from, and neither should we.”

For Madnani, his Indian heritage was his epigenetic signature, and early on at �ֲ���ý, he missed the embrace of his culture. He considered transferring to a larger school with a larger South Asian population. “But before I sent in the application, I asked myself one question: what about the Brown kids that came to �ֲ���ý after me? I knew then that I had to stay, and I’m so happy to be standing here today.”

Unlike a cell culture in a lab, however, the cells in the �ֲ���ý culture were able to “influence the behavior of the experimenter watching over them” — in this case, the �ֲ���ý administration — explaining how members of the senior class played a critical role in the successful creation of a course requirement focusing on race, power, privilege, and colonialism.

“As one of the first colleges in the nation to have such a requirement, our cell culture is constantly pushing the envelope and leading by example.”

What happens in a lab culture goes beyond a Petri dish, and what happens at �ֲ���ý does not stay within the confines of campus. “Insights and discoveries that we yield from an in-vitro cell culture… are taken and applied on a larger scale,” including important drugs and therapies that we use today. 

“While we may not have set the foundation for a revolutionary pharmaceutical compound, our trials and tribulations at �ֲ���ý have allowed us all to make a number of discoveries about ourselves and our ability to make a difference in our communities.”

Honorary Degrees

In delivering this year’s honorary degree citations, Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs, and dean of the faculty, noted that best-selling author Michael Lewis was an art history major. “Not a business or economics major, though he is perhaps best known for the books he has written about the world of high finance. Not a math major, though he has written about how statistics can win baseball games.” 

He wrote a senior thesis on Donatello, the Italian sculptor. And as a writer, Lewis “sees the faces in the stone, and wields words like a chisel, bringing unknown — though real — characters vividly to life for our eager consumption, entertainment, and edification. His writing, in short, helps us better understand the world in which we live and think more deeply about how we move through it.”

Hill noted that Julieanna Richardson, founder and CEO of the HistoryMakers, shares a profound connection with Alain Locke, the father of the Harlem Renaissance, in their commitment to empowering Black voices and preserving cultural legacies. 

Locke wrote, “Nothing is more galvanizing than the sense of a cultural past.” Richardson “frames a similar idea — the one that drives her immense contribution to the preservation of Black experiences in America — in this way. She says, “We want to reawaken memories, to reconstruct the history of a people who didn’t have time to capture it themselves.” 

Shankar Vedantam is the visionary behind Hidden Brain podcast, which seeks to explore “the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world.” This requires the capacity, said Hill, to “very consciously observe the world around them — then process what they see, synthesize meaning, and communicate findings. In other words, the skilled investigator of the unconscious must wield the precision tools of the liberal arts. Vedantam “is a master of this craft.”