Western to celebrate its graduates in eight ceremonies Commencement Weekend

About 2,180 students are expected to attend Commencement Weekend ceremonies in Carver Gym

BELLINGHAM, WA, June 7, 2024 -- Western Washington University will host eight commencement ceremonies June 14-16 to celebrate graduates and their families.

About 2,180 students are expected to attend Commencement Weekend ceremonies in Carver Gym, including students who graduated winter quarter or plan to graduate in spring or summer quarters. Tickets are not required to attend the ceremonies so that students can bring their families and guests of their choosing to the ceremony, and overflow seating will be available nearby.

Each ceremony is expected to last about an hour and will include a student speaker. There will be two ceremonies on Friday June 14:

  • 3 p.m.: The College of Science & Engineering departments of Biology, Chemistry and Geology, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences department of Anthropology. The student speaker will be Hosanna Abbay.
  • 6 p.m.: The remaining departments in the College of Science & Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering and Design, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, and Science Education. The student speaker will be Natalie Keys.

There will be three ceremonies on Saturday, June 15 for graduates of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences:

  • 10 a.m.: Departments of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Global Humanities and Religions, Health & Human Development, Linguistics, Multidisciplinary Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The student speaker will be Nathaniel Neal Selu.
  • 1 p.m.: Departments of Communication Studies, East Asian Studies, English, History, Journalism, Modern & Classical Languages. The student speaker will be Gabrielle Laipenieks.
  • 4 p.m.: Departments of Psychology and Sociology. The student speaker will be Sealey Raymond.

The three remaining ceremonies will be Sunday, June 16:

  • 10 a.m.: The College of Business & Economics. The student speaker will be Nathan Sim.
  • 1 p.m.: The College of the Environment and the College of Fine and Performing Arts. The student speaker will be Gavin Cole.
  • 4 p.m.: Woodring College of Education, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and University Interdisciplinary Studies. The student speaker will be Patheresa Vick.

Doors open one hour prior to each ceremony, and guests should be seated 10 minutes prior to the ceremony start time. ASL interpretation and live captioning will be available.

Graduates must make reservations to participate in the ceremonies and have been asked to share the number of guests they plan to bring. If Carver is at capacity, guests will be directed to nearby classroom lecture halls with comfortable seating, where they’ll be invited to watch a livestream of the ceremony on large, theater-style screens. The ceremony livestream will also be available online for viewing from home.

Following the ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to follow WWU tradition and place a small item representative of their time at Western in a time capsule that is later cemented into Memory Walk in front of Old Main.

Guest parking is free on commencement days and available in most lots. A downloadable parking map is available here. Visitors must observe regulations for accessible and individually reserved spaces. Accessible parking will be in the 9G parking lot, which is closest to Carver and served by a golf cart shuttle for those who need assistance. Visitors are also advised to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion and to allow for travel time between the parking lots and Carver.

For those parking in the south campus parking lots, there will be a free shuttle service available from the parking lot off Bill McDonald Parkway, just south of Wade King Student Recreation Center, that will drop off guests near Carver. Three shuttle buses will run in a loop on Friday, June 14 1 p.m.–8 p.m. and on Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16 8:15 a.m.–6 p.m. The three-shuttle fleet includes one ADA-equipped shuttle that will accommodate two wheelchairs per route.

Guests using wheelchairs may take this shuttle or they may park in the designated lot for accessible parking in the 9G lot.

For more information about June Commencement, visit registrar.wwu.edu/june-commencement, email Commencement@wwu.edu or call 360-650-3432.