Skip date selector
Skip to beginning of date selector
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
July 2025
August 2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025
- 9:30 AM1hPhi Beta Kappa InductionToday's Events | Colgate Memorial Chapel
Founding in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is America’s most prestigious academic honor society, celebrating excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and championing freedom of thought. - 10:30 AM2hAcademic ReceptionToday's Events | Merrill House, Tent
Graduating students and their families are invited to celebrate with Colgate’s faculty and other academic community members. Refreshments will be served. - 12:00 PM1h 30mMulticultural CelebrationToday's Events | James C. Colgate Hall, Hall of Presidents
The ALANA Cultural Center is excited to host and invite all graduating multicultural seniors to attend this special celebration. Prior reservation required. - 1:00 PM4hSuchi Reddy: Bias and Belonging ExhibitionToday's Events | Little Hall, Clifford Gallery (101 Little Hall)
Through an ongoing series of community conversations, artist and architect Suchi Reddy has been in dialog with students, faculty, staff, and townspeople throughout the 2024-2025 academic year to learn about the ways in which our encounters with reflection and misreflection in physical and digital spaces contribute to our experience of bias and belonging. A culmination of the year's conversations, Bias and Belonging poetically reframes the Colgate community's embodied experience of belonging in woven, textual and digital forms. Bias and Belonging is the latest iteration of Reddy's ongoing exploration into embodied states of being that reflect our individual and collective experience as we code switch and transform in evolving environments both digital and physical.Presented by the Art Department and the Christian A. Johnson Foundation**The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Artist-in-Residence was established in 1986 as a challenge grant in support of the arts at Colgate. The residency program permits one or more artists to become part of the Colgate community every academic year.*Please note: Weekend hours are dependent on the availability of student monitors. If driving a distance, please contact the department (315-228-7633), during regular working hours, to ensure the gallery will be open. The gallery is not open during university breaks and holidays. - 1:00 PM4hSuchi Reddy: Bias and Belonging ExhibitionCampus Life | Little Hall, Clifford Gallery (101 Little Hall)
Through an ongoing series of community conversations, artist and architect Suchi Reddy has been in dialog with students, faculty, staff, and townspeople throughout the 2024-2025 academic year to learn about the ways in which our encounters with reflection and misreflection in physical and digital spaces contribute to our experience of bias and belonging. A culmination of the year's conversations, Bias and Belonging poetically reframes the Colgate community's embodied experience of belonging in woven, textual and digital forms. Bias and Belonging is the latest iteration of Reddy's ongoing exploration into embodied states of being that reflect our individual and collective experience as we code switch and transform in evolving environments both digital and physical.Presented by the Art Department and the Christian A. Johnson Foundation**The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Artist-in-Residence was established in 1986 as a challenge grant in support of the arts at Colgate. The residency program permits one or more artists to become part of the Colgate community every academic year.*Please note: Weekend hours are dependent on the availability of student monitors. If driving a distance, please contact the department (315-228-7633), during regular working hours, to ensure the gallery will be open. The gallery is not open during university breaks and holidays. - 1:00 PM4hSuchi Reddy: Bias and Belonging ExhibitionThe Arts | Little Hall, Clifford Gallery (101 Little Hall)
Through an ongoing series of community conversations, artist and architect Suchi Reddy has been in dialog with students, faculty, staff, and townspeople throughout the 2024-2025 academic year to learn about the ways in which our encounters with reflection and misreflection in physical and digital spaces contribute to our experience of bias and belonging. A culmination of the year's conversations, Bias and Belonging poetically reframes the Colgate community's embodied experience of belonging in woven, textual and digital forms. Bias and Belonging is the latest iteration of Reddy's ongoing exploration into embodied states of being that reflect our individual and collective experience as we code switch and transform in evolving environments both digital and physical.Presented by the Art Department and the Christian A. Johnson Foundation**The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Artist-in-Residence was established in 1986 as a challenge grant in support of the arts at Colgate. The residency program permits one or more artists to become part of the Colgate community every academic year.*Please note: Weekend hours are dependent on the availability of student monitors. If driving a distance, please contact the department (315-228-7633), during regular working hours, to ensure the gallery will be open. The gallery is not open during university breaks and holidays. - 1:30 PM1hCommencement Seminar: SEAL StoriesToday's Events | Lawrence Hall, 20
Distinguished honorary degree recipient Richard Trusty Patrick Woolard ’65, Captain, Navy SEALs (retired), shares inspiring insight based on his experiences. - 1:30 PM10h 30mCommencement Seminar: SEAL Stories by former Navy SEALToday's Events | Lawrence Hall, 20
Distinguished honorary degree recipient, Captain Rick Trusty Woolard, will share inspiring stories and insight based on their experience and expertise. - 3:30 PM1hBaccalaureate ServiceToday's Events | Colgate Memorial Chapel
This traditional event offers both reflection for, and a farewell to, the graduating class. The service includes comments from the class's 1819 Award recipient and the recipient of the Jerome Balmuth Award for Teaching and Student Engagement. Graduating seniors offer readings from diverse religious and humanist traditions and present musical and dance selections.The graduates will line up for the procession at 3 p.m. and will be seated in the chapel.With all the graduates attending, additional seating in the chapel is extremely limited. Guests should plan to view the live stream of the event at our provided alternate on-campus viewing locations or at colgate.edu/commencement at a location of their choice. Viewing locations:Tent on Academic QuadLawrence Hall, 105 Ho Lecture Room Olin Hall, Love AuditoriumLearn more at colgate.edu/commencement. - 5:00 PM1hMulticultural Celebration DinnerToday's Events | James C. Colgate Hall, Hall of Presidents and Clark Room
Music, food, beverages, and activities celebrating the cultural traditions of different nationalities with individuals who formed and played a part in the graduates’ lives on campus. Graduates, guests, faculty, and staff from all nationalities and identities are welcome and appreciated. - 5:00 PM1hMulticultural Celebration DinnerCampus Life | James C. Colgate Hall, Hall of Presidents and Clark Room
Music, food, beverages, and activities celebrating the cultural traditions of different nationalities with individuals who formed and played a part in the graduates’ lives on campus. Graduates, guests, faculty, and staff from all nationalities and identities are welcome and appreciated. - 8:30 PM1hTorchlight ProcessionToday's Events | Academic Quad
Graduates will line up on the Academic Quad at 7:45 p.m.First enacted in 1930 under the guidance of the Alumni Association of the University, the Senior Torchlight Procession celebrates the culmination of the graduates’ four years and signifies their transition to life outside of the University.The graduating class members process down the hill carrying torches as a symbol of the “light of knowledge” they have gained through their Colgate education as represented by the torch on the University seal.Families will be able to watch the procession from a designated viewing area. We ask spectators not to interrupt the procession and to refrain from tossing objects to the graduates as they process.Immediately following the Torchlight Procession, the graduates and their families are invited to gather under the Oak Drive tent to enjoy music, dancing, and refreshments.Learn more at colgate.edu/commencement. - 9:00 PM1h 30mPresident's ReceptionToday's Events | Oak Drive Reception Area
Immediately following the Torchlight Procession, graduates and their families are invited to gather under a large tent on Oak Drive near the lower campus to enjoy music, dancing, and refreshments.Learn more at colgate.edu/commencement.