Commencement Ceremony

Commencement will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 19, in front of Old West on the John Dickinson Campus. 

Several thousand chairs will be available. Reserved seating will be roped off for the graduates, faculty and those who require accessible seating. All remaining seating is open and may be held after 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning after college personnel have designated the reserved seating sections. There is no limit to the number of guests per student that may attend this ceremony, and no tickets are necessary. Participants in the procession will line up at 9:15 a.m. along the sidewalk adjacent to the south wall of the John Dickinson Campus and will begin to march at 9:45 a.m. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. In the case of severe weather conditions, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the Kline Athletic Center and the ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m.

A live broadcast of the Commencement ceremony will be shown on large projection screens in the following indoor campus locations: Althouse 106, Stern Great Room & Stern 102, Bosler 208, Bosler Atrium, Dana 110, Weiss 235, the Quarry and the HUB monitors including Union Station. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and all sites are handicapped-accessible. For family and friends who cannot travel to Carlisle, a live video feed of the ceremony will be available on the Dickinson Web site at www.dickinson.edu/commencement (unless severe weather moves the ceremony indoors).

Information on how to log in as a guest to the college's Wi Fi network will be available at the HUB Information Desk.

Following Commencement, there will be a college-sponsored brunch in the Holland Union Building (HUB). All graduates and their families are welcome to attend. Each student may pick up five free tickets, one for the graduate and four guests, for this event in the Office of Conferences & Special Events. Additional tickets also may be purchased in advance at $7 each in that office or in Dining Services.

At the request of past graduates and parents, we will not roll the actual diplomas. The original diplomas will be available for pickup by the graduate or a family member on Britton Plaza (or, in the case of inclement weather, in Biddle House) immediately following Commencement. Please be sure to pick them up by 2 p.m.

A severe-weather plan will be used only in the case of thunder, lightning, high winds, hail or other conditions that make it unsafe to hold Commencement outside. Rain alone does not constitute severe weather. If the severe-weather plan is used, an announcement will be made by 7 a.m. on Sunday on the college’s home page, www.dickinson.edu. If in doubt, you may call 717-245-1900 for information. If severe weather occurs, the schedule will be adjusted to reflect the change in location, and the ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Kline Athletic Center.

No animals other than service dogs will be permitted at any events throughout the weekend.

Flowers will be available for purchase on Sunday near Althouse Hall.