More than 3,000 students will receive degrees during the University of Notre Dame’s Commencement ceremonies, which will be held on campus May 18 and 19 (Saturday and Sunday).
Degrees will be conferred on 2,078 undergraduates at Notre Dame’s 168th University Commencement Ceremony on Sunday. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary degree. Sister Susanne Gallagher, S.P.; Sister Mary Therese Harrington, S.H.; and Rev. James H. McCarthy, founders of the Special Religious Education Development Network, will receive the University of Notre Dame’s 2013 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.
Mallory Meter, a psychology major from Beverly Hills, Mich., will deliver the valedictory address.
In addition to Cardinal Dolan, other honorary degree recipients are: Gu Binglin, former president of Tshingua University in Beijing; Sister Antona Ebo, F.S.M., a lifelong pioneer in civil rights; Marilynne Robinson, an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction; Morton Schapiro, the 16th president of Northwestern University; and Kenneth Stinson, chairman emeritus of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. and a member of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees.
On Saturday, an additional 396 students will receive master’s and doctoral degrees at the Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, along with 422 master’s degree students at the Mendoza College of Business Ceremony and 197 students at the Law School Ceremony.
Notable Commencement weekend events are:
- ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, 9 a.m. Saturday, Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
- Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, 10 a.m. Saturday, Compton Family Ice Arena
- Mendoza College of Business Graduate Ceremony, 10 a.m. Saturday, Purcell Pavilion, Joyce Center
- Law School Ceremony, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Hesburgh Library Reflecting Pool
- Service Send-Off Ceremony, 1 p.m. Saturday, Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
- Commencement Mass, 5 p.m. Saturday, Purcell Pavilion, Joyce Center
- University Commencement Ceremony, 9 a.m. Sunday, Notre Dame Stadium
- Undergraduate college and departmental diploma ceremonies, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, various locations
A complete schedule of events is available on the Commencement website.
A number of the weekend’s events will be streamed live on the Internet.