Congrats, 2024 Graduates!
Congratulations seniors on your upcoming graduation!
Illinois Wesleyan University will celebrate Commencement on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Weather permitting, the ceremony will be held outdoors at Kemp Commencement Plaza located on the Eckley Quad by State Farm Hall beginning at 1:00 p.m. and typically lasts for about two hours. In the event of heavy rains or severe weather alerts, we will relocate the ceremony indoors to the Shirk Center Activity Center, and that decision will be made on Friday, May 3.
The ceremony will also be live streamed.
There are no tickets required or guest limits for the ceremony.
Accessible parking and seating options will be provided as well as an ASL interpreter.
Accessible Parking & Seating Information
For accessible parking, if you have a handicap placard for your vehicle, you may park in any designated space. You may also park in any parking lot shown on the attached map or along the street. We will have roaming golf carts that can pick anyone who needs assistance up at their vehicle to bring them to the ceremony location. Then when the ceremony is over, they will take those who need assistance back to their vehicles. If you do not see a golf cart, please call or text Julie Anderson's cell phone number (309-212-7274), and she will radio one of golf carts to pick you up. You will just need to tell her which parking lot you are in.
If the ceremony is outdoors on the Quad, there is also a small circle driveway along Park Street in front of Holmes Hall that will be a drop off/pick up area, and again, if someone needs assistance from there, a golf cart driver will take them to the ceremony site.
In either location, all guests may sit anywhere in the brown chairs, but we will have a designated area for those who have wheelchairs, are not able to walk far, or need to be close to a restroom. Volunteers will be stationed by Holmes Hall to provide assistance if the ceremony is outdoors, and inside the entrance to the Shirk Center ground floor if the ceremony is indoors.
Details
Great news! The weather forecast is favorable, so this year’s Commencement ceremony will be held outdoors on the Eckley Quad at Kemp Commencement Plaza in front of State Farm Hall. There will be some seating inside the Hansen Student Center for viewing the livestream for those who do not wish to sit outside.
The processional will begin at 1:00 p.m., and the ceremony will last about two hours.
Graduates, please arrive at the Ames Library Plaza by 12:15 p.m. in your cap and gown ready to line up. Linked here is detailed information regarding the processional line-up and a brief outline of the ceremony itself: Ceremony Instructions
If you have not picked up or are missing any part of your regalia - cap, gown, or tassel, please contact Julie Anderson (309-212-7274) ASAP.
Families and other guests, please arrive no earlier than 11:00 a.m. Complimentary water, iced tea, and lemonade will be available in the beverage tent near the Memorial Center before, during, and after the ceremony. In addition, the Coffee Shoppe found inside the Memorial Center, will be open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The University Bookstore, located in the Hansen Student Center, will be open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
We are excited to announce that best-selling author and Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Torri “T.J.” Newman '06 will deliver the University’s Commencement address.
Torri has graciously offered to do a book signing of her second book, Drowning, after the ceremony from 4-6 p.m. at the Hansen Student Center. The cost of the book is $28, and she is donating all proceeds towards a student scholarship. One hundred books will be available for purchase, but if more are needed, she assured me we can get more. The University does not have a point of sale system, so payment must be cash or check. There is an ATM in Tommy’s on the lower level of the Hansen Student Center.
Reminder to pre-register for photos with Grad Images prior to Sunday and receive a 20% discount: GradImages - Register now and save 20%!
We ask that cell phones be silenced and that no tripods, umbrellas, or anything that would obstruct the view for someone else be used during the ceremony.
Best-Selling Author TJ Newman '06 to Speak at Commencement
A 2006 music theatre graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University who published two novels that quickly became New York Times bestsellers optioned by major motion picture companies, Torri “T.J.” Newman '06 will deliver the University’s Commencement address on Sunday, May 5. Read More.
Welcome to the IWU Alumni Association
As an IWU alum, you are automatically considered a member of the Alumni Association, which comes with benefits at no charge.
- Update your contact information: we want to stay in touch after graduation!
- Share your news: No matter where your next path takes you we want to hear about it!
- Attend an alumni event: Connect with fellow alumni, engage in unique opportunities and join the fun.
- Get involved: There are so many ways to make a difference. Wherever and whenever you have time and talent to share, there is a way for you to contribute.
- Make a plan to return to campus: We hope to see you at Homecoming 2024!
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