Commencement | May 26, 2022

Photographs from Commencement Week

A gallery of Jim Harrison’s images from the unique Commencement celebrations for the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022

On assignment for Harvard Magazine, Jim Harrison has captured the emotions, traditions, and historic moments at Harvard Commencements for decades. In this most unusual of Commencement years, celebrating the class of 2022 with an in-person graduation, and the classes of 2020 and 2021 with a deferred recognition of their achievements after two years of online ceremonies, we are proud to present some of his favorite images from this week. Access our complete and continuing coverage here and see our Commencement Day coverage here and our Commencement Class of 2020 and 2021 coverage here.

~The Editors

Phi Beta Kappa | Baccalaureate | ROTC | Class Day
Commencement 2022 | Commencement 2020 & 2021

Phi Beta Kappa, Tuesday May 24, 2002

Baccalaureate, Tuesday May 24, 2022

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony Wednesday, May 25

Class Day, Wednesday, May 25

Commencement Day, Thursday, May 26

Commencement 2020 and 2021, Sunday, May 29

You might also like

Graduates in caps and gowns celebrate joyfully, raising their hands in excitement.

Conan O’Brien headlines a star-studded cast

Older woman in a white outfit with a cane and red sash, alongside an elderly man in a gray suit holding a sign.

Harvard Honors Its Oldest Alumni

At 97 and 101, Linda Cabot Black ’51 and William “Bill” Dubey ’46 led the way on Alumni Day.

Smiling astronaut in blue jumpsuit speaking at a podium, colorful background.

Don’t Be A ‘Solo Superhero,’ Jonny Kim Tells Harvard Alumni

The astronaut, doctor, and Navy SEAL delivered keynote remarks on Alumni Day.

Most popular

Soccer player and goalkeeper Matt Freese standing in front of the net

The former economics concentrator brings his talent for crunching numbers to netminding.

Photo montage showing Harvard’s Widener Library and the edifice of the Supreme Court divided by a gavel.

The Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings: An Analysis

The underlying arguments project clashing worldviews of race and appropriate remedies.

Skulls of a Neanderthal from Amud (not pictured) and an early human from Skhul show morphological differences between the two groups.

Human origins driven by technological and cultural revolutions

Ofer Bar-Yosef argues that cultural and technological revolutions have been more important than biological ones during the past 100, 000 years.

Explore More From Current Issue

Vibrant urban scene at dusk featuring a mural on a building and illuminated structures.

University News

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.

Katie O’Dair in academic regalia holds a ceremonial staff outdoors at a graduation ceremony.

How Katie O’Dair makes kings, comedians, and parents feel welcome on campus.

Black and white photo of Joseph Murray in a white lab coat sitting in an office.

Alumni Profiles

Nobel Prize recipient Joseph E. Murray dedicated much of his career to organ transplant surgery.