Commencement

The Class of 2025 Commencement will be held on Friday, May 23, 2025 with separate ceremonies for graduating seniors and graduate program degree recipients.

The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. and last approximately 2 hours.

The graduate ceremony will begin at 3:00 p.m. and last approximately 1 hour.

The Commencement ceremony will be held in Kraushaar Auditorium.

Kraushaar Auditorium (4a), located at the Dorsey College Center (4), is adjacent to the Dorsey Visitor Parking lot on the Campus Map (PDF).

The keynote speakers will be announced at a later date. Please check back in the coming weeks.

Family and friends who are not able to attend the ceremony in person will be able to watch a livestream of Commencement.

Baccalaureate

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We invite all graduates, families, friends, faculty, and staff to reflect on the meaning of the college experience and the transition of Commencement through responsive readings, prayers from many religious and ethnic traditions in different languages, music, and reflections from a graduate and a faculty or staff member.

Baccalaureate

Convocation

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The Goucher community is cordially invited to celebrate the academic and artistic achievements of its students at the annual Convocation celebration. Convocation not only recognizes students who have earned academic honors but also celebrates artistic and civic achievements. A variety of honors and awards will be bestowed.

Convocation

Affinity Graduation Ceremonies

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Affinity Graduation Ceremonies honor the accomplishments and experiences of Goucher graduates from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities. These ceremonies highlight the personal and academic successes that have shaped a student’s journey at Goucher College. While celebrating common experiences, Affinity Graduation Ceremonies also provide an opportunity for reflection, gratitude, and inspiration for aspiring seniors.

Affinity Graduation Ceremonies

Phi Beta Kappa

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The ceremony is an annual celebration to induct and celebrate achievements of Goucher students elected to join the Beta of Maryland Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Phi Beta Kappa

Graduates will receive a separate email from Tassel with instructions on how to claim GradPass, guest tickets, and to use the pronunciation tool. If you have not received this information, email commencement@goucher.edu. Please note each graduate must claim their GradPass to enter campus. In addition to the GradPass, each graduate will receive an allotment of guest tickets. Undergraduates will receive 4 guest tickets and graduate students will receive 5 guests tickets. No additional tickets will be issued and guest tickets cannot be used interchangeably for the ceremonies.

• Graduates must have their GradPass and their guests MUST HAVE TICKETS, whether paper or electronic and be prepared to display them at the gatehouse to be allowed on to campus.
• Campus Safety will check all tickets. ANYONE WITHOUT A TICKET WILL BE TURNED AWAY. (Infants and toddlers do not require a ticket.)
• Tickets are non-transferable.

Kraushaar Auditorium offers indoor seating - first come, first served. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. for the undergraduates ceremony and at 2:00 p.m. for the graduate ceremony.

Seats may not be saved without one person onsite at all times.

Goucher College looks forward to celebrating Commencement with students, friends and families of students and staff and strives to make the ceremony accessible for all attendees.

The Commencement ceremony will feature the following:

• Reserved parking and shuttle for guests with disabilities. If your vehicle does not have a license plate with a disabled icon, please travel with a disabled parking placard. The license plate and placard will make it easier for parking staff to direct your vehicle to reserved parking.
• An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.
• An ADA bathroom within Rosenberg Gallery and additional ADA bathrooms in the Dorsey Center which is adjacent to Kraushaar Auditorium.
• Kraushaar Auditorium does not have an elevator and seating is tiered, accessible via stairs. There is an ADA entry from ground level for those that have challenges navigating uneven surfaces.

If an attendee needs accommodations that are not outlined above, we encourage you to contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) prior to your arrival at Goucher at access@goucher.edu. To ensure the College is able to meet the needs of attendees with disabilities in a timely manner, please contact OAS by Friday, May 9, 20205.

Please visit herff.ly/goucher to order Commencement regalia. The early bird deadline to order regalia, announcements, thank you cards and more is April 28, 2025. The final deadline for online orders is May 9, 2025.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to the College Store, contact customer.service@goucher.edu for options.

Only students participating in Academic Honor Societies or Affinity Graduate Ceremonies will receive cords or stoles and as a result they cannot be procured along with your regalia.

A photographer hired by the College will be on stage during the ceremony to take pictures as graduates receive their diploma cover. There will be ample time after the ceremony for guests to photograph graduates. Please do not take photographs of the diploma presentations so as not to impede the view of other guests.

For those attending from out of town, see a list of nearby hotels. A Goucher discount may be available, so please ask, but pricing is at the discretion of the hotel.

On-campus housing will not be available for those students not already residing on campus.