Cornell’s 165th Commencement is May 14
Due to weather, Commencement will be held at the arena of the Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center. Baccalaureate will be at Kimmel Theatre.
Cornell College will hold its 165th Commencement ceremony in celebration of the Class of 2023 on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 14.
The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. on the McLennan College Hall Lawn.
The Sunday Commencement and Saturday Baccalaureate ceremonies will be live-streamed on YouTube. An American Sign Language interpreter will be signing at both ceremonies.
Makayla Kelleher will be the senior speaker. She is from Newton, Iowa, and will graduate with a major in behavioral neuroscience and a minor in theatre. Kelleher is past president of Student Senate, and an R.A., as well as a member of LEADS (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, And Distinctive Services), and a Cornell College Fellow. Last summer, she served as the Floyd Scott Fellow of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Art History Professor Christina Penn-Goetsch is the faculty speaker. She has taught at Cornell for 26 years. The speakers are nominated by the senior class. Seniors then vote for one of the top three student nominees, while the president and provost select the faculty speaker from the top three nominees.
Three faculty will receive emeritus status after teaching for a combined 85 years: Professors of Biology Barbara Christie-Pope and Craig Tepper, and Professor of English Michelle Mouton. Tepper arrived in 1989 (retiring after 34 years), Christie-Pope in 1995 (28 years), and Mouton in 2000 (23 years).
An inter-spiritual Baccalaureate ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, also on the McLennan College Hall Lawn. This Cornell tradition features playful and meaningful words of gratitude by graduating seniors on behalf of their faculty, family, staff, and friends; readings by members of the Class of 2023; and wisdom for the life journey which includes a message by College Chaplain Melea White.
Other events are also scheduled throughout the weekend. Follow the events on social media with #CornellCGrad.
This article was updated May 11, 2023.
