Dear Members of the Class of 2025, Parents, and Family Members,

Your 2025 Commencement ceremony is just a few months away, and planning for this celebration of your extraordinary accomplishments is underway.

You may recall that for various reasons, we have had to move the ceremony to several different spaces for the past few years. Last year, the ceremony was held off campus at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. I’m writing to share that, given the ongoing campus construction in support of our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality, we will hold the ceremony at the Mann Center again this year. 

I know you may have mixed reactions to this news. But Parrish Lawn will be unavailable this spring as we prepare the ground for the next phase of geoexchange well drilling, a critical component of our To Zero By Thirty-Five energy plan. Unfortunately, other on-campus locations we considered cannot accommodate an event as complex and large as Commencement. That includes the Scott Outdoor Amphitheater. We are fortunate to have such a special space on campus, and I am delighted that it will once again host Last Collection and Baccalaureate.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the space, the Mann Center is a beautiful, open-air, covered venue in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, located about 10 miles from campus. We are confident this location will again allow us to host a joyful, memorable, and inspiring Commencement.

We heard concerns and reservations when we announced that last year’s ceremony was moving off campus. However, following the event, the feedback we received about the Mann Center from seniors and their family members and friends, as well as faculty, staff, and other guests who attended the ceremony, was generally positive.

The ceremony, which will be livestreamed on the College’s website, will take place as scheduled on Sunday, May 25, at 11 a.m. ET. We will share more about the logistics of Commencement weekend in the weeks ahead, including ticketing, transportation, accessibility accommodations, and other important information. You can also visit the Commencement website for more information about the ceremony.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding. We are proud of our seniors and committed to ensuring that Commencement will be a festive and inclusive occasion. We look forward to celebrating this remarkable milestone with you. 

Sincerely,

Val Smith
President