The baccalaureate service tradition originated in medieval European universities where it was a custom for each candidate for graduation to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of their academic requirements. The term baccalaureate is derived from the Latin words bacca and laurens, which refer to wreaths of berries and laurel worn by new graduates during that period. Following this history, some form of baccalaureates have long been part of the American college and university commencement tradition.
The first baccalaureate service at Madison University (the institution that would be renamed Colgate in 1890) was led by President George W. Eaton in 1864. In 1925, a full baccalaureate service became a regular part of the graduation exercises and has been held each year since.
Colgate’s baccalaureate service offers graduates the opportunity to hear from the graduating class’ 1819 Award recipient and the faculty recipient of the Jerome Balmuth Award for Teaching. Other graduating seniors offer readings from Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, humanist, Christian, and Buddhist traditions, and student groups present musical and dance selections. The baccalaureate gathering is the formal beginning of the commencement weekend. Graduates wear robes, though not caps, to the service.
With all the graduates attending, additional seating in the chapel is extremely limited. The majority of 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.
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.
To begin the procession, members of the graduating class gather in the Academic Quadrangle for music and an address by the University President. The graduating class members then 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 and other spectators may gather at designated areas on the lower campus to watch the procession before joining the class at the President’s Reception.
The reception offers refreshments and is free of charge to attend for graduates and their guests.
Colgate University, founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York, will be celebrating its 204th commencement this year. The first commencement ceremony, which took place in 1821, was called the “Public Exercises of the Baptist Literary and Theological Seminary.” Today, the ceremony begins with a formal procession of the graduates, the faculty, Colgate’s leadership, and the honorary degree recipients, led by a bagpipe troupe. The ceremony runs for approximately 2½ hours.
Seating is open, with the exception of reserved special seating, such as for accessibility.
The ceremony will be held outdoors unless severe inclement weather arises. Even in May, our Chenango Valley temperatures can range from freezing up to the mid-80s F (mid-to-upper 20s C), and showers can appear unexpectedly, so please plan your attire accordingly. In the event that severe weather forces the ceremony indoors to Sanford Field House, tickets will be required, and space is limited to five guest tickets per graduate. Each graduate is responsible for requesting tickets through their Senior Checklist. Tickets will be distributed to the graduates.
The ceremony will be webcast into the Class of 1965 Arena for those who prefer the indoors to the Kerr Stadium location and as spillover seating from Sanford Field House in the case of severe inclement weather. The facility is wheelchair accessible.
We also livestream the ceremony at colgate.edu/commencement for those unable to attend in person.
Commencement Speaker
Julianne Smith
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Smith is a distinguished national security expert with more than two decades of experience in U.S. and European defense policy, transatlantic relations, and geostrategic risk. She has held senior leadership positions at the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State, where she has shaped NATO’s response to the Ukraine war, advanced U.S.-European economic and military partnerships, and addressed global security challenges stemming from China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia.
Colgate will honor Smith with an honorary doctorate, alongside Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81, P’11,’20, Ann S. Masten, John McWhorter, Jill Tiefenthaler, Deborah Willis, and Richard Trusty Patrick Woolard ’65.
Read more about the commencement speaker and honorary degree recipients