The many rituals of graduation peak on Commencement day, which this year includes addresses by President Derek Bok and Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates ’77. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton speaks to the College seniors on Class Day. For further details and updates, visit www.commencementoffice.harvard.edu. See also: "A Special Notice Regarding Commencement Exercises."
Monday, June 4
50th Reunion Symposium, 2:30, “Harvard Architecture and Allston.” Sanders Theatre.
50th Reunion Dinner, at 6, with remarks by outgoing dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles. MAC courtyard tent.
Kennedy School Class of 2007 Picnic, 4-7. KSG courtyard.
Tuesday, June 5
50th Reunion Symposium, at 10. “Aging of the Brain and Immortality.” Science Center B.
Phi Beta Kappa Literary Exercises, at 11, with orator Jeremy Waldron and poet C.D. Wright. Sanders Theatre.
50th Reunion Lunch, at noon. Science Center tent.
Baccalaureate Service for the Class of 2007 and their families, at 2. Tercentenary Theatre, followed by senior class picture, at 4, Widener steps.
Kennedy School Class Day Awards Ceremony, 1-4. Kennedy Forum.
Senior Class Family Dinner and Party, at 6. Reservations and tickets required. Next to the Palmer Dixon Courts.
Harvard Extension School Alumni Banquet, cocktail reception at 6; dinner and program at 7. Reservations required. Quincy House.
Divinity School Alumni Dinner, 5:30. Awards presented to John Rugge, M.T.S. ’69, and Kurt Shaw, M.T.S. ’97. Tickets required. Harvard Club of Boston.
Wednesday, June 6
Divinity School Alumni Day begins at 9:30 with a panel discussion on religion and film. Sperry Room. Violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, M.T.S. ’02, performs, at 11, at Andover Chapel.
50th Reunion Memorial Service, 9:30 in Memorial Church, followed by class picture, at 11:15, Widener steps.
ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, at 11. Address by Stephen Rosen, Kaneb professor of national security and military affairs, director of Olin Institute, and master of Winthrop House. Tercentenary Theatre.
Senior Class Day Luncheon, at noon. Reservations required. The Old Yard.
Divinity School Luncheon, 12:30, with keynote address by television host and film producer/director Liz Walker, M.Div. ’05. Andover lawn.
Senior Class Day Exercises, at 2, with the Harvard and Ivy Orations and, as guest speaker, former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Tercentenary Theatre.
Kennedy School Commencement Address, at 2, by New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof. Kennedy Forum.
Law School Class Day, 2:30, with speaker Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals judge and legal scholar. Holmes Field.
Business School Class Day Ceremony, 2:30-6, with speaker Kenneth Chenault, J.D. ’76, chairman and CEO of American Express Company. Reception at 4. Baker Lawn.
Masters’ Receptions (time varies by House) for members of the senior class and guests. The Undergraduate Houses.
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Reception, 4-6. Dudley House.
Graduate School of Design Class Day Speaker, at 4, reception to follow. Speaker to be announced. Gund Hall.
25th Reunion Welcome Dinner, 5:30. Location to be announced.
35th Reunion Welcome Dinner, 6:30. Tent in front of Holworthy.
50th Reunion Dinner, 6:30. Harvard Stadium.
Harvard University Band, Harvard Glee Club, and Radcliffe Choral Society Concert, at 8. Free and open to the public. Tercentenary Theatre.
Thursday, June 7
Commencement Day
Yard Gates open at 6:45.
Law School Breakfast, at 7. Jarvis Field tent.
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Breakfast, at 7. Lawn behind Perkins Hall.
Senior Chapel Service, at 8. Memorial Church.
Academic and Alumni Procession, 8:30. The Old Yard.
Medical School Class of 1982 Symposia, 9-4:30, “Inspiration after 25 Years.” Registration required. Tosteson Medical Education Center.
Medical School Faculty Panel, 9-noon. “Cardiovascular Medicine in the Postgenomic Era: From Bench to Bedside.” Registration required. Tosteson Medical Center.
The 356th Commencement Exercises, 9:45. Tercentenary Theatre.
Divinity School Diploma Ceremonies immediately following Morning Exercises. Memorial Church. Lunch at 1, Andover Lawn.
Business School Luncheon, 11:30, for graduates and their guests. Tickets required. Kresge tent and boardroom.
Senior Luncheon and Diploma Ceremonies, 11:30. Undergraduate Houses.
The General Alumni Spread, 11:30. Tickets required. The Old Yard.
The Tree Spread, for College classes of 1918-1956, 11:30. Alumni are guests of the College; all others must reserve a ticket. Holden Quadrangle.
Law School Luncheon and Diploma Ceremony, 11:30. Holmes Field.
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Diploma Ceremony, 11:45, in Sanders Theatre, followed by champagne reception and luncheon on the lawn behind Perkins Hall.
Kennedy School Diploma Ceremony, at 12:15, followed by luncheon. By ticket only. JFK Park.
Graduate School of Design Diploma Ceremony, at noon. A luncheon follows; tickets required. Gund Hall.
Graduate School of Education Diploma Ceremony, at noon. Radcliffe Yard.
Business School Diploma Ceremony, 12:30. Baker Lawn.
Extension School Diploma Ceremony, 11:45-1:15. Loeb Drama Center.
Alumni Parade, 1:45. The Old Yard, in front of Harvard Hall.
The Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association, 2:30, with speeches by President Derek Bok and Bill Gates. Tercentenary Theatre.
Business School Reception for graduates, guests, faculty members, and staff, 2:30-4. Kresge tent.
School of Public Health Diploma Ceremony, 2:30. Academic procession, followed by an address by Julio Frenk, former Mexican minister of health. Kresge Courtyard.
Medical and Dental Schools Class Day Ceremony, at 2, with speaker Joseph Martin, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. HMS Quad.
Radcliffe Reunions Dinner, 6-9, for classes 1955 through 1975. Radcliffe gymnasium.
Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus Annual Commencement Dinner. Cocktails at 5, followed by dinner and guest speaker Andrew Tobias ’68, M.B.A. ’72, author and treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. Lowell House. Reservations required for the dinner. Visit www.hglc.org/dinner.html for details.
Friday, June 8
Radcliffe Commemorative Service, at 9. Nancy Lee Johnson ’57 leads the service; Marlene Rehkamp ’82, J.D. ’85, is the speaker. Memorial Church.
Medical School Alumni Day. The HMS Alumni Association’s annual meeting is followed by a presentation on “Global Health at Harvard Medical School” with Presley professor of medical anthropology Paul Farmer, M.D. ’88, Ph.D. ’90, and Jim Yong Kim, M.D. ’86, Ph.D. ’91, former head of the World Health Organization’s Africa AIDS treatment campaign. Lunch and class photographs follow. HMS Quad.
35th Reunion Symposia, 9-12:15. Topics and location to be announced.
25th Reunion Symposia, at 9. “Rethinking America’s Global Role: After Iraq, After Darfur, Is There a Strategy for the Next Quarter-Century?”; “Finding Solutions to the Climate Crisis”; and “Living to 100: Implications for Ourselves and the Country.” Science Center.
Radcliffe Awards Symposium, 10:15-12:30. “Women Shaping Power: From the Grassroots to Head of State,” with panelists Lynne Perry-Böttinger ’82; Megan Marshall ’77, RI ’07; Serena K. Mayeri ’97; Ruth Wyler Messinger ’62; Frederica Shoenfield Brenneman ’47, LL.B. ’53; Ann Eldridge ’57, M.A.T. ’59, RI ’69; Lucia Stein Hatch ’57; Barbara Newman Kravitz ’52, Ed.M. ’53; and Ellen Guild Moot ’52. With presentation of Distinguished Service Awards, Alumnae Recognition Awards, the Graduate Society Medal, and the Jane Rainie Opel ’50 Young Alumna Award. Loeb Drama Center.
Radcliffe Institute Annual Luncheon, 12:45, with an address by novelist Toni Morrison, Goheen professor emerita at Princeton and winner of the 2007 Radcliffe Institute Medal. Registration required. Radcliffe Yard.
25th Reunion Symposia and Life Dialogues, 2-3:15. “From Career to Home—And Deciding What’s Next”; “Facing Profound Challenges—Finding Strength and Hope”; and “Making Major Career Changes.” Science Center.
35th Reunion Memorial Service, 2:30, in Memorial Church, followed by the class picture, at 4, Widener steps.
Saturday, June 9
Dental School Alumni Day starts at 9. Awards and symposium on “The Oral Healthcare Crisis.” Harvard Dental School.
25th Reunion Memorial Service, at 11, in Memorial Church, followed by the class picture, Widener steps.
For updates on Harvard reunions and events for graduating seniors, contact the Harvard Alumni Association, 124 Mount Auburn Street, 6th floor, Cambridge 02138, at 617-495-2555; haa@harvard.edu; or www.haa.harvard.edu.
For information on Radcliffe reunions, contact the Office of Alumnae Services, 10 Garden Street, 617-495-8641/496-6095; or www.radcliffe.edu/alumnae.
For Medical Area symposia and other events, contact Jean Hurd, 617-384-8520.
The Harvard Information Center, Holyoke Center, is open every day but Sunday, 9 to 5. Telephone: 617-495-1573.
Events listings also appear in the University Gazette.
