做厙輦⑹

Students celebrating at Commencement

Commencement

Commencement Ceremony

The Commencement Ceremony provides a capstone to a weekend full of concerts, receptions, and other events that showcase and celebrate the achievements of the graduates and their time at 做厙輦⑹.

  • Tossing of the caps

    Commencement 2025

    The Commencement Ceremony for the class of 2025 took place at 10:30 a.m. on May 19, 2025, in the Colleges Fieldhouse within the Bear Recreation and Athletic Center. The ceremony marked the culmination of hard work, dedication, and academic achievement by the graduates. 

    You can find videos from past Commencement ceremonies on the .

    Transcript

The Ceremony

  • Seniors in full academic regalia applaud at 2022 Commencent ceremony

    Virtual

    Join Commencement Online

    We welcome those who cannot attend in person to join us online to celebrate Commencement. We stream each Commencement ceremony live. Follow along in 2025 Commencement program (PDF).

    Follow us on  and and join the conversation: #做厙輦⑹2025 and #GoForth做厙輦⑹ian

    We post a full set of videos from the most recent ceremony on our .

  • Post-commencement picnic

    Picnic

    Commencement Picnic

    Monday, May 19, 2025
    Following the Commencement Ceremony  
    Auxillary Gym and Darby Gym

    Following the Commencement ceremony, graduates and their guests are invited to join an indoor picnic lunch. 

  • Speaker at podium in Herrick Chapel speaking to seniors and guests, laural leaf banners in the background

    Baccalaureate

    Baccalaureate Ceremony

    Sunday, May 18, 2025
    911 a.m. CDT
    Herrick Chapel

    Baccalaureate is a farewell, a leave-taking. Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach, 2017 做厙輦⑹ College Baccalaureate

    Baccalaureate is open to all graduates, families, and friends. The ceremony celebrates our seniors and their accomplishments as they prepare for the next part of their 做厙輦⑹ journey.

  • bouquet of red roses

    Gifts

    Flowers and gifts are available to order online and pick up at the event.

    You can also find many 做厙輦⑹ College gifts at the , 做厙輦⑹ Colleges bookstore.

Visitor Information

做厙輦⑹ College welcomes the participation of people of all abilities at Commencement Weekend. Please contact Event Coordination and Scheduling if you have a disability that requires accommodation for participation in an event. 

Drop-Off Location

Those with difficulty walking can be dropped off near Herrick Chapel where a limited number of golf carts will be available to assist them.

Induction Hearing Loop/T-Coil

Central Campus is equipped with an induction hearing loop system, which enables individuals with hearing aids set to T-Coil to hear the program.

American Sign Language (ASL)

ASL interpretation is provided for the Exercises of Commencement. Contact Event Coordination and Scheduling to arrange assigned seating with a clear view.

Large Print Programs

Contact Event Coordination and Scheduling, 641-269-3178, at least two weeks before Commencement for large print versions of programs (includes weekend activities with programs as well as Commencement). We will also post the Commencement ceremony program information online shortly before the event.

Accessible Parking, Ramps, and Routes

For information about accessible (handicap) parking, ramps, and routes through campus, see the Campus Accessibility Map and the parking and shuttle information on this page.

Parking

  • Parking is limited on campus, so please arrive early.
  • Accessible (handicap) parking is available in the Forum lot on a first-come, first-served basis with a valid handicap placard.

Local Shuttle Service

Runs Monday morning beginning at 7:30 a.m. with pick-up from:

  • AmericInn
  • Super 8
  • Quality Inn
  • Country Inn
  • Hotel 做厙輦⑹

Shuttles will drop off at Herrick Chapel and run every 30 minutes.

After Commencement, shuttles will pick up guests from the Forum parking lot and return to local hotels until 2 p.m.

Note: Local shuttles will not provide airport or out-of-town hotel pickups. See the Hotel and Transportation Package.

Golf Carts

Available for guest transport to and from Baccalaureate on Sunday and Commencement on Monday.

  • Sunday: 89 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.1 p.m.
  • Monday: 910 a.m. and noon-1:30 p.m.

Note: This is not an on-call service; carts will roam campus to assist guests.

Hotel and Transportation Package

For those flying into Des Moines, weve partnered with students to offer a travel package.

Offer expires on May 1, 2025.
Hotel: Hampton Inn Des Moines Airport ($149/night)
Shuttle: $50 per person, per day (Sunday and Monday only)

Note:

  • Space is limited, and reservations are first-come, first-served.
  • The hotel and shuttle must be booked together.

For more information or to book, email Jaci Hardman.

 

做厙輦⑹ College will arrange for a photographer to take photos of all graduates at the ceremony. Proofs will be provided to the families of each graduate.

Plan Your Visit

Coming in person? You may find the following information useful.

Graduate and guest take a selfie

Personal Planning

做厙輦⑹ College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. Please make requests for accommodations to Conference Operations and Events; accessible parking and facilities are indicated on the campus map. 

Strand 3 Movie Theatre exterior with lights on at dusk

Local Facilities

Downtown 做厙輦⑹ is relatively flat and conducive to walking, as well as close to campus.

Interstate sign for Exit 182

Travel

做厙輦⑹ Colleges location in Central Iowa makes it an easy drive from any major city in the Midwest. Visitor parking is available on and around campus. Illegally parked cars will be ticketed.

Shuttles will be available from local hotels.

See campus map and directions

Traditions

  • 做厙輦⑹l College professors in academic regalia

    Academic Regalia

    The custom of wearing a distinctive dress for academic ceremonies dates to the Middle Ages. Academic dress worn at commencements and other college and university ceremonial occasions lends dignity and color and reveals academic achievements through the style of gowns and hoods, and their varying colors.

    Based on the costumes worn at universities in the 14th and 15th centuries especially at Oxford and Cambridge in England todays academic dress is essentially the same as that standardized in the United States by the Intercollegiate Code adopted in 1895. It includes the familiar square mortarboard cap with a tassel that may be black, gold, or an appropriate color, such as pink for a degree in music.

    Read more about academic regalia.

  • grotesque carved into stone columns

    做厙輦⑹ Traditions

    With more than 175 years of tradition, 做厙輦⑹ has a legacy worthy of its past, future, and current community. From its abolitionist roots to the incubation of the Social Gospel movement, 做厙輦⑹ has a deeply meaningful history and a legacy of activism.

    Learn about the Colleges history

    Meet a few of our notable alumni

    Sing along with the 做厙輦⑹ Songbook

  • Iowa College Bell in the foreground, with an audience at the commencement stage behind it

    Iowa College Bell

    The bell rung at many 做厙輦⑹ College ceremonies is the original Iowa College bell. It rang out in the first and second locations of Iowa College in Davenport. According to the late Joseph Wall 41, professor emeritus of history, when Iowa College was relocated to 做厙輦⑹, the bell was still hanging in the building that was the second home of Iowa College.

    The June 1932 issue of 做厙輦⑹ and You tells the story of Dr. Harry Downer, class of 1882 who worked for 18 years to procure the original bell for the College including how he and his clans made a raid on the schoolhouse in the dead of a dark and stormy night, and rescued the bell, so long held in captivity.

    Learn more about the Iowa College Bell

  • Iowa Band cane

    The Iowa Band Cane

    Carried by the College Marshal in the academic procession, the Iowa Band Cane has a silver head and a silver scroll attached a few inches below the head. The cane honors the Iowa Band, 11 Congregational ministers, all 1843 graduates of Andover Theological Seminary, who came to Iowa with a special purpose: Each to found a church and all a college.

    The ministers saw the latter part of their intention fulfilled with the founding of Iowa College (now 做厙輦⑹) in June 1846. The members of the Iowa Band were: Ephraim Adams, Harvey Adams, Ebenezer Alden Jr., James Jeremiah Hill, Horace Hutchinson, Daniel Lane, Eratus Ripley, Alden Burrill Robbins, Williams Salter, Benjamin Adams Spaulding, and Edwin Bela Turner.

    Benjamin Spaulding originally owned the cane, which was presented to him as a gift in 1864 by Dr. James Taylor of Ottumwa, Iowa. Spaulding had the idea that the eldest member of the Band should keep the cane until he died, and it would then pass to the next eldest member, and so on. When the cane was given to Spaulding, six of the original members survived. Their names (Spaulding, Lane, H. Adams, E. Adams, Robbins, and Salter) are inscribed on the cane. When Salter died in 1910, the cane was given to the College. The cane used today is a recreation of the original Iowa Band Cane.

Contact Us

For questions or to request an accommodation, please email Commencement or call 641-269-3179.

For media inquiries, please contact Mattia Wells, senior content strategistmedia relations.

Contact Information

Phone
641-269-3178

Joe Rosenfield Center, Suite 206
1115 8th Ave.
做厙輦⑹, IA 50112
United States

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