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Senior Convocation

The 2023 Senior Convocation event will be held on Thursday May 25 in Barton Hall from 1-2:30pm for graduating seniors.

ConvocationEvents • Senior Days • Commencement


Stay tuned for the reveal of this year's Convocation speaker!

Convocation

The Senior Convocation Ceremony is a Cornell tradition that takes place during the Senior Days leading up to Commencement Weekend. Convocation is a student-led event that celebrates the accomplishments of the undergraduate graduating class. Highlights of the event include a student speaker, a student poet, student organization performances, University leadership, and an invited guest speaker.

Convocation will begin on May 23 in Barton Hall with a Pre-Convocation Celebration 11:30am-1pm. The ceremony will begin at 1pm and conclude at 2:30pm. Immediately following Convocation, Alumni Affairs & Development is hosting the official Class of 2024 Class Photo. Full details below!


Events

Group of students with Touchdown at Senior Convocation 2022
Touchdown at Senior Convocation!

Class of 2024 Pre-Convocation Celebration | Barton Hall | 11:30-1pm

The Senior Convocation Committee invites you to celebrate before the ceremony in Barton Hall! Class of 2024 merch, snacks, photobooths, music, and more will be at the Teagle-side entrance of Barton Hall from 11:30am-1pm. Merch and snacks are limited so come early and hang out with your friends!

2024 Convocation Ceremony | Barton Hall | 1-2:30pm

The 2024 Convocation Ceremony will take place on Thursday May 23th from 1-2:30pm in Barton Hall, with doors opening at 11:30am. Plan to arrive by 12:50pm at the latest, as we will begin offering remaining seats to "day-of" guests at that time. Senior Convocation is for undergraduate graduates part of the Class of 2024 (December '23, May '24, December '24). We will invite graduating graduate/professional students and finally current Cornell community members as space allows. 

2024 Convocation Itinerary

2024 Convocation Itinerary

11:30am: Doors open for guests (must show RSVP)

11:30am-1pm: Class of 2023 Pre-Convocation Celebration

12:45pm: pre-ceremony performance

1:00pm: Ceremony begins

  • Opening
  • Welcome
  • Student Performance
  • Remarks: Vice President Ryan Lombardi
  • Student Performance
  • Convocation Chair Address: Asha Prabhat '24
  • Guest Speaker Introduction
  • Guest Speaker Address
  • Closing Student Performance + Alma Mater

2:30pm: Event ends

2:45-4:30pm: Class of 2024 Class Photo by Alumni Affairs & Development

Convocation Guest Speaker Biography

Convocation Guest Speaker Biography

Stay tuned!

Invited Guests/Attendees

Invited Guests/Attendees

Funded by the undergraduate student activities fees, the event will only be open for members of the Cornell community. Undergraduate students from the class of 2024 will have the first priority to reserve their ticket. We will then open up availability to graduate/professional students. Finally, the general student body, staff, and faculty will be able to reserve a ticket if space is available.

2024 Ticket Timeline

2024 Ticket Timeline

You must reserve your free Senior Convocation ticket via CampusGroups before joining us at the event. Students can only reserve 1 ticket for themselves.

  • Starting Tuesday April 30 at 8pm EST: Undergraduate students from the class of 2024 can reserve their ticket
  • Starting Tuesday May 14 at noon EST: Graduate and professional students from December 2023 and May 2024 graduations can reserve their ticket.
  • Starting Saturday May 18 at noon EST: The general student body, faculty, and staff at the Ithaca campus can reserve their ticket. 

Outside guests & livestream

Outside guests & livestream

Outside guests -- including family and the greater Ithaca community -- will not be able to reserve a ticket or attend this Cornell-only in-person event. The Senior Convocation event will be available via livestream on Cornell Video, open to all. The full ceremony will live on Cornell Video for two (2) months with a password shared with the graduating class.

 2024 Convocation Committee

2024 Convocation Committee

Each year's Convocation committee is made up of members of that year's graduating class. They work throughout their senior year to create the Convocation event.

Convocation Chair: Asha Prabhat

Events Committee

Faith Shote, Co-Chair of Speaker Selection

Naveen Sharma, Co-chair of Events

Andrew Talone

Christine Park

Coco Xu

Darshana Subramaniam

Ebreez Elbashir

Elana Pocress

Ethan Mulroy

Jahmal Wallen

Jose Perez-Marino

Meilee Kry

Patrick Kuehl

Ruth Abraham

Brief History of Convocation

Brief History of Convocation

Senior Convocation began as a small program for graduating seniors hosted by the Cornell University Class Councils student organization. The mission has always been to invite an honored guest to motivate, inspire, and send off the graduating seniors as they close this chapter of their lives. Over the years, what has become the Senior Convocation ceremony has seen many different renditions.

In 2001, the senior class awarded the first Convocation Medallion to our guest speaker. This award recognizes an individual for their meaningful contributions to society, success in instilling the desire to learn, and dedication to undergraduate achievement and excellence.

In its early years, Senior Convocation was held in Barton Hall. In 2004, President William Jefferson Clinton was our speaker and the request for the event necessitated the relocation from Barton Hall to the Schoellkopf Stadium. Convocation lived at Schoellkopf Stadium during Commencement Weekend until 2019. The 2020 Convocation Speaker presented during Alumni Weekend in Fall 2021 in a special ceremony for returning members of the class of 2020. Our Class of 2021 Convocation was held virtually in a pre-recorded production. In 2022, Convocation returned to its roots for a more intimate Barton Hall student-driven event hosted during Senior Days.

Past Convocation Speakers

Past Convocation Speakers

Here are past Convocation speakers since 2000.

2023: Ken Jeong, Actor, Comedian

2022: Constance Wu, Actor

2021: Roxane Gay, Activist, Commentator, Professor, and Writer (virtual speaker)

2020: Leslie Odom Jr., Actor and Singer (virtual speaker)

2019: William Sanford Nye '77, Educator, Engineer, Comedian, Presenter, Author, & Inventor

2018: Ava Marie DuVernay, Activist, Filmmaker, and Producer

2017: Joseph R. Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States

2016: James Franco, Actor

2015: Gabrielle Giffords '96 of the U.S. House of Representatives & Mark Kelly Astronaut

2014: Ed Helms, Actor

2013: Cory Booker, 38th Mayor of Newark, NJ

2012: Michael Bloomberg, 108th Mayor of New York City, NY

2011: Rudy Giuliani, former 107th Mayor of New York City, NY

2010: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 116th Congress

2009: David Plouffe, Campaign Manager, Political Strategist

2008: Maya Angelou, Poet

2007: Soledad O'Brien, Newscaster

2006: Martin Luther King the III, Activist

2005: Wesley Clark, former General of United States Army

2004: Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

2003: James Carville, Political Strategist

2002: Danny Glover, Actor, and Human Rights Activist

2001: Janet Reno '60, former U.S. Attorney General

2000: Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator


 

Questions about Senior Convocation can be directed to the Campus Activities office at activities@cornell.edu.