Baccalaureate

One of the Commencement weekend traditions at Whitman College is a Baccalaureate Ceremony. The event is an opportunity to pause in reflection and gratitude, to celebrate remarkable accomplishments and to honor the important transition from student to graduate.

Hosted by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Baccalaureate is an hour-long celebration featuring music from graduating music majors and brief readings, prayers and reflections from a wide range of religious traditions including humanist/non-religious perspectives. It is an opportunity to gather in community around whatever each of us finds meaningful or sacred—for those of all faith traditions, for those of no faith tradition and for everyone in between.

The 2025 Baccalaureate will take place on Saturday, May 24 at 2:30 p.m. in Cordiner Hall. 

The keynote address at Baccalaureate will be delivered by Elizabeth Knapp, Ph.D, Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience at Washington and Lee University where she also serves as Director of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity. She is the mother of Jenner Smith ’22 and graduating senior, Charlie Smith ’25, both Geology-Environmental Studies majors.

Baccalaureate Livestream Video: