The Baccalaureate Ceremony
Baccalaureate Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Seniors should arrive in cap and gown for the Baccalaureate Ceremony at Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center before 2:45pm.
The University Chaplaincy is deeply glad to welcome the Class of 2024 and their families to the Baccalaureate Ceremony at Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The multifaith ceremony will include:
- Words of Welcome and Greetings of Peace from University Chaplain Reverend Elyse Nelson Winger
- Senior interviews by video
- The Wendell Phillips Address by Saffiyah Coker, A24
- An instrumental music performance by Tufts musicians
- President Sunil Kumar's address to the Class of 2024
- Words of blessing and sending from Tufts University chaplains
The event will be held in person on the Medford campus, and live-streamed. Please see the Q&A below for common inquiries, and reach out to Associate Director for Programs Nora Bond with questions or accessibility needs.
The Baccalaureate Ceremony celebrates the graduating class the day before the Commencement Ceremony. The Baccalaureate Ceremony is a unique multifaith celebration that incorporates music, speeches from President Monaco and a graduating senior, and chaplains’ blessings into one celebration that has been personalized for your class. This tradition began in 1864 at Tufts.
While the Commencement Ceremony is launching you fully into your post-Tufts experience, the Baccalaureate Ceremony is the last time your class will be together to connect over your shared experience as Tufts students. Baccalaureate features student voices, song, and opportunities to reflect; we invite you throughout the Ceremony to reflect on your own experience of Tufts. Commencement is also for all graduating Tufts students, including graduate and professional students, while the Baccalaureate Ceremony is just for undergraduates and their guests.
Essentially, it means a bachelor’s degree conferred by a college or university – but in reference to a Baccalaureate Ceremony, it means a gathering held before a graduation, to celebrate graduates.
A Tufts Tradition
The Baccalaureate Ceremony for the senior class is a tradition that began in 1864. Baccalaureate is a cherished moment during Commencement Weekend. It is the last time for the senior class to be together as a class before graduation. One senior is selected to give the Wendell Phillips Address, and the Tufts University President offers parting words to the class. The Baccalaureate Ceremony is a multifaith and multicultural celebration honoring a diversity of spiritualities, philosophies, and cultures at Tufts in the form of music, readings, and blessings. All are welcome, and generally all members of the senior class and their families attend.
View recordings of previous Baccalaureate Ceremonies below:
2020 - The Wendell Phillips Speaker for the Class of 2020 will speak at the rescheduled Commencement Ceremony