Spring Commencement
Celebrating the 100th Occasion of the Conferring of Degrees at Christopher Newport University
May 17, 2025
Commencement 101
Commencement 101 is sponsored by the Offices of Alumni Relations and University Events and is designed to help you learn everything you need to know about graduation. From how to register for commencement to how to buy your cap and gown, Commencement 101 will be a fun and informational session that will leave you feeling prepared for May 17, 2025! You will also learn more about your role after you graduate and how you can fulfill that role as a Captain for Life.
There are four sessions being offered in the DSU Ballroom:
- Tuesday, February 18 at 12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 19 at 12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Beginning at the first session, you will be able to purchase Senior Week packages. The top package will be limited to 350 seniors due to capacity at select venues. They will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Stay tuned for the complete Senior Week schedule!
All graduating students are highly encouraged to attend this event!
Commencement
Overview
Commencement at Christopher Newport isn’t just a day, it’s a week-long series of events. From all of the fun senior week activities to special ceremonies like Candlelight, Latin Honors and the Graduate Studies Ceremony to departmental receptions and awards, there is a jam-packed schedule to honor and celebrate our graduates! The week culminates with Commencement Day Activities on Saturday, May 17. Visit the schedule tab to find out more and plan out your week.
About Commencement Day
Commencement day kicks off with the Baccalaureate Degree Conferral Ceremony for graduates on the Great Lawn. The ceremony begins with the pomp and circumstance of the grand processional led by CNU faculty, the Class of 2025 and the stage party, continues with the formalities of the degree conferral process, an address from President Kelly, the singing of the alma mater, and concludes with the grand recessional featuring a key CNU tradition – the faculty gauntlet. From the processional start to the end of the recessional, it is roughly a one hour program. Guest seating is limited for the conferral ceremony. Each graduate will be allotted two seats in the reserved seating section for guests, but there is unlimited standing room and it will be livestreamed. We recommend giving these wristbands to those with accessibility concerns or guests who are unable to stand for extended periods of time. Many guests choose to line the processional route so they can watch and capture their graduate’s march up the lawn. Please note, graduates' names are not called out nor do they walk across the stage at the conferral ceremony–this happens during the Grad Walk.
Following the Degree Conferral Ceremony, graduates will reunite with their family and friends to spend the day together enjoying the defining traditions that are associated with being a Captain–the penny toss, graduate hooding, visiting the Alumni House, departmental receptions, ringing the bell and, of course, to have their moment walking across the stage during the Grad Walk. If graduates bring guests to the Degree Conferral Ceremony, it is recommended that they make a plan of where to meet up after the recessional, as there will be significant movement on campus.
The Grad Walk is separated into college blocks and each graduate registers for a time within their block to walk across the stage. Now, this is the part where Christopher Newport is really unique! Unlike traditional ceremonies that have you sitting in the hot sun for hours, hundreds of feet from the stage, waiting forever just to barely glimpse the graduates, Christopher Newport allows graduates and their guests to walk right up to the stage TOGETHER! The graduate and their guest group enter the queue for the Grad Walk, they take part in the hooding tradition and then once they arrive at the stage, the graduate goes up the ramp to the stage, their guests walk directly in front of the stage to witness their graduate’s walk, have their name read, receive their diploma cover and shake hands with the President. Family and friends are close enough to talk to each other and capture that picture-perfect moment. Please limit the amount of guests you bring with you to the Grad Walk Queue to no more than 10-12 people. Additional guests are encouraged to utilize the seating in front of the stage. And, for those with mobility restrictions, we have a special seating area to wait right in front of the stage until their group arrives. For those joining from afar, the Conferral Ceremony and the Grad Walk will be livestreamed.
Graduates and guests are welcome on campus to enjoy as much, or as little, of the day as they choose. There is no limit to the number of guests that can attend Commencement, even if it rains! There will be plenty to do and people to see and celebrate with! All across campus there will be event zones that feature different experiences and traditions that graduates and guests can walk between and participate in together—at their leisure and in whichever order they choose. There are only two time constraints during the day – the Conferral Ceremony and the Grad Walk. Graduates will select their Grad Walk time when they register for Commencement in April. To view all that campus will have to offer graduates and their guests on Commencement Day, be sure to download the Commencement Activities Map- coming soon!
Commencement will be a day filled with celebration, music, multiple family photo ops, and plenty of poignant and unforgettable moments. We hope to see you there!
Questions? Please contact the Office of University Events at cnuevents@cnu.edu.