Let the celebrations begin.
Lawrence University will hold its Commencement at 10 a.m. June 9 on Main Hall Green. It will conclude a weekend of festivities, all honoring the accomplishments of the Class of 2024. Here are 15 things to know as you prepare for the weekend.
1: Graduates, this is for you: 341 graduates are set to walk the Commencement stage on June 9. Of those, 272 will receive Bachelor of Arts degrees, 29 will receive Bachelor of Music degrees, 27 will receive Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Music Dual Degrees, and 13 will receive Bachelor of Musical Arts degrees. They then join an alumni community more than 22,000 strong.
2: Commencement speaker: Pawo Choyning Dorji ’06, a Bhutanese filmmaker, will address the graduates and others in attendance. Dorji’s debut film, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, drew international acclaim, earning major awards at film festivals and receiving a 2022 Oscar nomination in the Best International Feature Film category. It was filmed in a remote school in the Himalayas, 14,500 feet above sea level and a 14-day trek from the nearest motorable road. Dorji followed that with the release in 2023 of The Monk and the Gun, a satire also filmed in Bhutan. It won awards at multiple film festivals and was shortlisted for a 2024 Oscar. Variety magazine selected it as the fifth best film of 2023 in its annual best films of the year feature. Dorji will receive an honorary doctorate degree at Commencement.
3: Baccalaureate speaker: James Gandre ’81, president of Manhattan School of Music in New York City, will deliver an address to graduates and their families at the Baccalaureate Service in Memorial Chapel on June 8. He has served as president of Manhattan School of Music since 2013. He was in various leadership positions at the school from 1985 to 2000 before taking on leadership roles at Roosevelt University in Chicago and the Chicago College of Performing Arts. He then returned to Manhattan School of Music as its president. A tenor vocalist, Gandre also is an accomplished performer. He will receive an honorary doctorate degree at Commencement.
4: Senior class speaker: Monique Johnson ’24, a government major from Brooklyn, New York, will address her classmates as the 2024 senior class speaker. Among the youngest members of the graduating class, Johnson arrived at Lawrence as a Posse Scholar in the fall of 2020 at the age of 16. She has embraced the Lawrence experience every step of the way, leading and/or participating in Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC), the Beta Psi Nu sorority, Black Student Union (BSU), African and Caribbean Union (ACU), and the LU Cheer Team. She also served for two and a half years as a Community Advisor in Residential Education. She plans to pursue law school.
5: Thank you to faculty retirees: Five retiring members of the Lawrence faculty will be honored during Commencement. Psychology professor Beth Haines, anthropology professor Peter Peregrine, and three music faculty in the Conservatory—John Daniel, Matthew Michelic, and Steven Jordheim—will bid farewell at the close of the 2023-24 academic year. Haines, Peregrine, Daniel, and Michelic will be at Commencement to receive their citations and honors for their exemplary work through the years.
6: Faculty awards: The annual faculty awards have long been a part of Commencement. Honorees will be announced for the Faculty Award for Scholarly Achievement, Excellence in Teaching, and Excellence in Teaching by Early-Career Faculty.
7: The processional: President Laurie A. Carter will lead the processional, joined by Board of Trustees Chair Cory Nettles ’92 and faculty marshal Celia Barnes, associate professor of English. Carter and Nettles will address graduates and guests during Commencement.
8: All that music: Look for music during Commencement from the Lawrence University Graduation Band, led by Andrew Mast, associate dean of the Conservatory, Kimberly-Clark Professor of Music, and director of bands.
9: Sign language: There will be an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at the ceremony.
10: Livestream: If you can’t be there in person, you can check out a livestream of Commencement. Find it on the Commencement page on the Lawrence website.
11: Senior art: As is tradition, the annual Senior Art Exhibition will be on display throughout Commencement weekend in Wriston Art Center Galleries. It will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 7-8 and noon-4 p.m. June 9.
12: Grads in concert: The annual Commencement Concert will be held 7:30 p.m. June 7 in Memorial Chapel. It features members of the 2024 graduating class.
13: Cookout on Main Hall Green: Graduates, their families, and the Lawrence community are invited to join President Carter for a cookout from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 8 on Main Hall Green. The cookout also will be an opportunity for graduates and their guests to meet Dorji.
14: Baccalaureate Service: This annual multi-faith celebration will be held at 2:30 p.m. June 8 in Memorial Chapel. James Gandre ’81 will be the guest speaker.
15: Post-Commencement celebration: The recessional following Commencement will take graduates through the Lawrence Arch and east along College Avenue. They will then gather with family, friends, and other supporters on the patio and green space in front of Mudd Library. The arch is now part of tradition at Lawrence. Incoming students process through the arch on their way to the President's Welcome during Welcome Week, signaling their arrival as undergraduates. Graduates then go through the arch following Commencement, signaling the close of their undergraduate studies and the beginning of a new chapter as Lawrence alumni.
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at Lawrence University.