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 will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Most popular

History of napalm origins at Harvard

A new book traces napalm's invention to Harvard—and its evolution from heroic discovery to pariah

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

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

A vase of yellow flowers on a table next to an orange and a glass.

Harvard Art Museums restores a rare glimpse of an American master.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026