Cornell College holding commencement outdoors

For the first time in more than 20 years, Cornell College is holding its commencement ceremony outdoors.

The ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 2, will be held in the quad bordered by the Norton Geology Center and South and College halls. The college will confer degrees on 254 students from across the country and the world.

Theatre Professor Jim VanValen will give the faculty address and Will Dinneen, a senior from Cheyenne, Wyo., will give the student address.

The weekend’s events begin Friday with a reception for Cornell’s Delta of Iowa chapter of Phi Beta Kappa  at 2 p.m. in Cole Library. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely respected academic honor society in the United States. There are 270 chapters in the United States, including seven in Iowa.

At 3 p.m., a  baccalaureate service will be held in King Chapel. Seniors’ words of gratitude for family, friends and mentors will be read at the service. The Rev. Catherine Quehl-Engel, college chaplain, will deliver the sermon.

Commencement will include a traditional academic processional by faculty and will be followed by a reception on the pedestrian mall.