Campus & Beyond Commencement in Pictures: Celebrating the Class of 2023 Stories You May Like Cornellian Crossword: ‘ConGRADulations!’ From Big Red Presidents, Commencement Words of Wisdom Hold Those Banners High! Celebrating the Seamstress Whose Talents Enhance Commencement A glorious Ithaca day set the stage for ceremonies honoring the accomplishments of the Big Red’s newest alums By Joe Wilensky Picture-perfect weather—replete with sunny skies and moderately warm temperatures—smiled on Cornell’s 155th graduating class on Memorial Day Weekend, as 3,900 undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate and professional students received their degrees. As in recent years, the festivities were split into two consecutive ceremonies, with graduates and their families attending one or the other according to their college or school. President Pollack leads the procession out of the stadium. Of course, both featured the traditional academic procession from the Arts Quad onto Schoellkopf Field, with grads, faculty, and staff in full regalia. Members of the Class of 2023—most of whom had their first year interrupted by the pandemic—heard a heartfelt message from President Martha Pollack, who likened their journey to that taken by the heroine of The Wizard of Oz. “And like Dorothy, you kept going,” she said, “even as you met challenges along the way—some of which you’d never imagined.” A drone’s-eye view of Schoellkopf. Stories You May Like Cornellian Crossword: ‘ConGRADulations!’ From Big Red Presidents, Commencement Words of Wisdom The annual PhD recognition ceremony was held in Barton Hall later that afternoon, as Kathryn Boor ’80, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education, and others honored the nearly 350 new recipients of the Ithaca campus’s highest academic degree. Commencement Weekend also included the ROTC commissioning ceremony in Statler Auditorium, with 26 graduates (21 from Cornell and five from nearby institutions) receiving commissions and officially beginning their military careers. Of particular note: Claudia Pietrus ’23 became the first Cornell ROTC member to be commissioned into the U.S. Space Force. Commencement ’23: A Big Red photo album A blinged-out mortarboard.Hats off to our grads!Dean Kathryn Boor ’80 awards a doctorate at the PhD ceremony.Entering the stadium.Five proud grads.A McGraw Tower “mini-me.”A happy day in Schoellkopf.Convocation speaker Ken Jeong amuses and inspires.Give ’em a hand: DVM grads celebrate.Claudia Pietrus ’23 receives her commission into the U.S. Space Force.Singing the “Alma Mater.”Mortarboard art delivers a Big Red sendoff.All smiles.The student dance group BreakFree wows at Convocation.Hanging loose.Joy, bubbling up. And during Senior Convocation in Barton Hall, the grads were entertained by the Big Red Band, student dance groups, and more. This year’s speaker—as always, chosen by the senior class—was actor, comedian, and physician Ken Jeong, known for such films as The Hangover and the TV series “Community.” “You can’t predict where life is going to go, so you have to be open to possibilities,” he said. “Be fearless, be adaptable. That is my challenge to you.” Top: The procession passes McGraw Tower. (All images in this story by Cornell University photographers Lindsay France, Noël Heaney, Sreang Hok, Jason Koski, and Ryan Young.) Published June 2, 2023 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond Sage Chapel’s Windows Illuminate and Inspire Campus & Beyond Remember Arriving on Campus? Now, Move-In Is a Major Event Cornelliana For Half a Century, the U-Halls Shaped the Campus Experience