Harvard Commencement week 2012: events for Tuesday, May 22

Phi Beta Kappa exercises; Baccalaureate address

Wet chairs in Harvard Yard Tuesday morning. Rain is forecast for Tuesday, thunderstorms for Wednesday, and sun on Thursday.

Wet chairs in Harvard Yard Tuesday morning. Rain is forecast for Tuesday, thunderstorms for Wednesday, and sun on Thursday. | Harvard Magazine / MF

Events for Tuesday, May 22, include the Phi Beta Kappa Literary Exercises, with poet Kay Ryan and orator Derek Bok, and the Baccalaureate Service for the College class of 2012. For those not able to attend, both ceremonies will be broadcast live on WHRB.

The Phi Beta Kappa ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in Sanders Theatre. View a list of Phi Beta Kappa members of the Class of 2012 and earlier classes, dating back to the 1960s.

The Baccalaureate Service begins at 2 p.m. at Memorial Church; afterward, seniors will gather for their class picture on the Widener steps. The service will be broadcast live in Tercentenary Theatre; admission to the church is limited strictly to degree candidates. 

You might also like

The University has pushed the adoption of AI into teaching and operations, but faculty resistance is growing louder.

The division is launching a new fundraising effort to support 50 additional students.

Due to rain, the University held dual Convocation ceremonies for the Class of 2030 in Sanders Theatre.

Most popular

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.  

Explore More From Current Issue

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

A woman with curly blonde hair sits casually against a stone wall, wearing a black top and jeans.

Chloe Chapin trains her Broadway costume designer’s eye on the history of men’s fashion.