Commencement 2009 will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2009.
Highlights from the 2008 Commencement ceremony:
- Watch a video of the entire ceremony or skip directly to various points in the program.
- Let our new blog take you there -- complete with photos and inside information.
Links to other information:
- Visiting Haverford's campus
- Lodging
- General Outline
- Handicapped Accessibility
- Honorary Degree Recipients
- Parking Information
- Photography & Legacies
- Tickets
General Outline for Commencement Weekend 2009
The Commencement celebration will begin at 8:30 Saturday evening, in Marshall Auditorium, when the College's honorary degree recipients will hold an informal discussion with graduates and their guests. This discussion is NOT open to the public. Immediately afterward, at about 9:30, members of the faculty, the administration, and others in the College community will host a reception for seniors and their families in the Dining Center.
On the morning of Sunday, May 17, at 8:30, there will be a meeting for worship at Haverford Friends Meeting House. Commencement exercises will follow at 10:00 on the green in front of Roberts Hall, or if it is raining, in the Alumni Field House. After graduation, a light luncheon will be served; once again the weather will determine the site, but if it is not raining, it will be on Founders' Green.
Handicapped persons or persons with difficulty walking may be dropped off at the corner of College Lane and Coursey Road, between Barclay Hall and Sharpless Hall. Handicapped parking is available in the lot at the rear of Lloyd hall, accessible from Carter Road only, or on Hall Drive. If you or your guests are handicapped, but do not have special license plates, please contact Violet Brown in the Events Office at 610-896-1130 (or email vbrown@haverford.edu) to make special arrangements.
Each year Haverford College awards four honorary degrees to men and women who have distinguished themselves in letters, the sciences, or the arts. Many recipients are noted for their contributions to the overall betterment of humankind and/or Haverford College.
The Honorary Degree Recipients for 2009 TBA.
View a PDF of past honorary degree recipients.
If entering from Lancaster Ave., officers will direct vehicles to park at Barclay Beach. If entering from College Ave. or Old Railroad Ave., officers will direct vehicles to park in the South Lot and Orchard Field. If you have questions in the weeks before Commencement, please call the Office of Safety and Security at 610-896-1111. Security officers will be stationed at campus entrances and on the roadways on Commencement Day to provide directions.
A free shuttle van and golf carts will operate to Founders Green from all locations, but all parking locations are no more than a five minute walk from this site. The Commencement ceremony begins promptly at 10:00 a.m. We recommend that you plan to arrive earlier to take part in other events and to avoid last minute traffic crowding.
All graduates: At Commencement on Sunday, May 17, the College will engage the services of a professional photographer, who will take a photograph of each senior as his or her diploma is presented and will then make these photographs available to you.
Legacies: Each year the Haverford Alumni Magazine prints pictures of alumni along with their graduating daughter, son, grandchild or other Haverford legacy. After Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 20 we would like to take a photograph of you with your “legacy” graduate. The photographer will be stationed near the ramp to Magill Library. Please take a few minutes during the reception following Commencement to stop by. The photographer will be available between 12:15 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. We will try to make it quick and painless! If you have any questions, email Janine Beaman.
Tickets are not required for Commencement, nor is there a limit to the number of guests graduates wish to invite.