Commencement 2008 will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008.
Highlights from the 2007 Commencement ceremony:
- View a slideshow of 2007 legacy photos.
- 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, video 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 2008
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, 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 2008 are:
John S. Carroll ’63 has edited three major newspapers (the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and the Lexington Herald-Leader) and directed coverage that won Pulitzer Prizes. He was Knight Visiting Lecturer at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University where he taught a course, “Journalistic Values in a Time of Upheaval.” He is the recipient of several awards including the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, American Society of Editors Leadership Award, Burton Benjamin Memorial Award of the Committee to Protect Journalism. He served as Chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Board, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was awarded Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation. He is currently writing a narrative nonfiction book.
D. Holmes Morton, M.D. is a country doctor, pediatrician and geneticist researching the treatment of hereditary metabolic disease. He specializes in the genetic disorders of Old Order Amish and Mennonite Children. His Clinic for Special Children has become an international resource for diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic disorders. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellow “genius grant” in 2006, is a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism (1993), and was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of Medicine.”
Anna Deavere Smith is an actress, playwright and author. In addition to teaching at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, she is affiliated with the New York University School of Law and founded and directed the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, which supports the development of artistic works that deal with social issues. She has authored two books, “Letters to a Young Artist” and “Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines.” She has appeared in numerous New York stage productions as well as the films Philadelphia, Dave and The American President. Recurring TV roles include parts on the The West Wing and The Practice. She is best known for her “documentary theatre” style plays such as Fires in the Mirror and Twilight.
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 20, 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.