Parents’ Information

Ceremony

Commencement exercises for 2013 will be held 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 19, in Sanford Field House. Concession stands will open at Andy Kerr Stadium at 8:30 a.m. Doors to the field house will open at 9 a.m. No food will be allowed inside. Due to limited seating, there will be absolutely no admittance or re-admittance without a ticket. Families should plan to arrive together as reserving of seats will not be permitted. Everyone needs to be seated by 10:15 a.m. The ceremony will be followed by a reception for students, their families, and faculty members.

Tickets

Starting in February, seniors will be able to reserve up to five (5) guest tickets for the graduation ceremony. Seniors will pick up their requested tickets at the bookstore Thursday, Friday and Saturday prior to commencement.

Indoor viewing facilities (no ticket required)
Due to limited seating in Sanford Field House, we are providing additional seating with closed-circuit access to the ceremony in another location on campus. This room will be open at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 19.

Torchlight Ceremony

The Torchlight Ceremony on Saturday night is one of Colgate's oldest traditions. The procession of the Class of 2013 is led through the campus grounds and concludes on Whitnall Field. The ceremony, although very beautiful, can be dangerous if students are intoxicated and do not have full control of themselves. Cooperation from both students and parents is vital. The past several graduating classes have made a concerted effort to cut down the level of drinking taking place prior to and during the ceremony. We hope the members of the Class of 2013 and their guests will continue this effort to ensure the safety of everyone and help maintain the tradition for future graduating classes.

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On-Campus Housing

The Office of Residential Life will provide housing on campus for parents and family. This information was included in the mailing sent to parents on February 1. The housing letter and reservation form can be viewed here. Reservations can also be made online.

In addition, you can view a complete list of local area accommodations including local hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Videos

Colgate has partnered with Collegiate Video to capture all the important highlights of Commencement Weekend including Torchlight, the baccalaureate speaker's address, commencement ceremony, and, most precious of all, footage of your graduate crossing the stage and receiving his or her diploma. You should receive a brochure and order form in the mail with your commencement information. Videos are approximately 80 minutes in length.

Parent Mailings

Future Commencement Dates

May 18, 2014
May 17, 2015
May 15, 2016
May 21, 2017