McDaniel celebrates 153rd Commencement on Saturday, May 20

McDaniel College celebrates its 153rd Commencement for the Class of 2023 on Saturday, May 20. The graduate ceremony begins at 10 a.m., followed by the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies take place in the college’s Gill Center. A live stream of both ceremonies will also be available online at www.mcdaniel.edu/commencement.

McDaniel College celebrates its 153rd Commencement for the Class of 2023 on Saturday, May 20. Nearly 600 graduate and undergraduate degrees are expected to be awarded during two ceremonies.

Graduate ceremony begins at 10 a.m., followed by the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies take place in the college’s Gill Center. A live stream of both ceremonies will also be available online at www.mcdaniel.edu/commencement.

Alumna Sharon Love and daughter and Yeardley standing together.

Graduate Commencement speaker is Sharon Love, who founded the One Love Foundation to honor her daughter Yeardley, a college lacrosse player who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend just weeks before her graduation. A retired teacher, Love graduated from the college with a master’s degree in Deaf Education in 1976.

Awards to be given during the graduate commencement ceremony include The Shelton Adjunct Faculty Award to an adjunct faculty member whose teaching demonstrates a commitment to excellence and genuine care for students; The Joan Develin Coley Award for Excellence in Education, awarded to a graduate student with the best record in the study of literacy theory and practice; and The B. Jill Brooks Hodge Professional Development Award to a graduate student who has demonstrated academic excellence with a strong compassion for individuals with special needs and an interest in serving the Deaf or disabled.

Bob Woodward, legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author, provides remarks during the undergraduate ceremony. Woodward is an associate editor of The Washington Post, where he has worked since 1971, and is best known for his coverage of the Watergate scandal. He has earned nearly every major American journalism award.

In addition, an honorary Doctor of Journalism degree will be awarded during the undergraduate ceremony to Stan Stovall, a retired veteran journalist and news anchor with WBAL-TV (NBC Baltimore).

Winners of two undergraduate awards are revealed during the undergraduate commencement ceremony. The Argonaut Award, to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade-point average, and The Edith Farr Ridington Writing Award, to the graduating senior who writes the best paper, are presented.

Two faculty awards are also given during the undergraduate commencement ceremony. The Ira G. Zepp Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes inspired classroom work and dedication to students and The Ira G. Zepp Teaching Enhancement Grant is awarded to a faculty member for further excellence in teaching.

Commencement Ceremony Instructions

Graduate Commencement Ceremony:
Click here for additional Graduate Ceremony instructions.
• Students assemble at McDaniel’s Baker Memorial Chapel at 9 a.m. (Note: rain location is Old Gill Gym)
• Procession begins at 9:45 a.m. from Baker Memorial Chapel to Gill Center. (In case of rain, students proceed to Gill Center from Old Gill Gym.)

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony:
Click here for additional Undergraduate Ceremony instructions.
• Students assemble at McDaniel’s Baker Memorial Chapel at 1 p.m. (Note: rain location is Old Gill Gym)
• Procession begins at 1:45 p.m. from Baker Memorial Chapel to Gill Center. (In case of rain, students proceed to Gill Center from Old Gill Gym.)
• Immediately following the undergraduate ceremony, the new graduates have the opportunity to ring the Old Main bell located in Memorial Plaza signaling the completion of their degrees. (Students also ring the bell as entering first-year students into the McDaniel community.)

In conjunction with Commencement, several events take place on Friday, May 19:

• At 10 a.m., 13 graduating students from McDaniel are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during the Green Terror Battalion Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony in Baker Memorial Chapel. Maj. Gen. Michael O’Guinn, who served as the deputy chief of the Army Reserve in Washington, D.C., is the guest speaker.

• At 6 p.m., graduating seniors will process through Ward Memorial Arch prior to the Senior Investiture and Honors Convocation at 6:30 p.m., where academic, activity, and leadership awards will be presented, including The Bates Prize and The Mary Ward Lewis Prize to the most outstanding graduating class members who have made the best record during their undergraduate course.

#McDaniel23 Spirit Kit

Help us celebrate the Class of 2023 throughout the week, leading up to their Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 20!

Cheer on our graduates by sharing photos or messages using #McDaniel23. Tag us in your senior photos, decorated mortarboards, senior shout outs, and more. Plus, don’t forget to update your profiles and cover photos with our celebratory graphics!