Convocation
Whitman College’s annual Convocation ceremony is a calling together of everyone on campus—students, faculty and staff—to mark the beginning of the next academic cycle, and to welcome the incoming class of first-year students into our community.
Convocation will take place on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025 at 1 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.
2025 Commencement Program
(download a PDF of the program)
Processional
Big Joe (Gwen Marbet ’26, Tessa Schwartz ’26, Mya Snyder ’26, Aidan Tribolet ’26)
Welcome and Introductions
Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak, Provost and Dean of the Faculty
“Cultivation of Wisdom”
Martina Gordon, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation General Council Secretary
Remarks by ASWC President
Sybella Ssewakiryanga ’26, Associated Students of Whitman College President
“On Academic Freedom”
Susanne Beechey, Chair of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Politics
Musical Interlude
Ayano Yoshikawa ’25
Convocation Address: “Let Your Curiosity Lead”
Brit Moss, Associate Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Musical Interlude
Sarah Earing ’25, vocals
Jan Roberts, piano
Opening of the Academic Year
Sarah R. Bolton, President
Recessional
Big Joe (Gwen Marbet ’26, Tessa Schwartz ’26, Mya Snyder ’26, Aidan Tribolet ’26)
Platform Party
Sarah R. Bolton, President
Susanne Beechey, Chair of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Politics
Martina Gordon, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation General Council Secretary
Helen Kim, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Sociology
Lydia McDermott, Chair of Division II and Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing and Public Discourse
Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak, Provost and Dean of the Faculty and Professor of English
Gilbert Mireles, Chair of Division I and Professor of Sociology
Brit Moss, Convocation Speaker and Associate Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Mary Raschko, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Associate Professor
of English
Sybella Ssewakiryanga ’26, President, Associated Students of Whitman College
Ginger Withers, Chair of Division III and Dr. Robert F. Welty Professor of Biology
Special Participants
College Marshal:
Helen Kim, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Sociology
Faculty Marshal:
Andrea Dobson, Associate Professor of Astronomy
American Sign Language Interpreters:
Cori Jones, Paula Bazinet
Land Acknowledgment
Whitman College is located on the traditional Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla homelands. We pay our respect to tribal elders both past and present and extend our respect to all Indigenous people today. We honor their stewardship of the land and ecosystem and commit to continuing that important work.
More About Convocation
Academic regalia worn at collegiate ceremonies such as Convocation and Commencement serves two purposes: it lends dignity and color to such occasions and reveals types of academic achievement through different styles of gowns and hoods and varying colors.
The regalia you see today is based on what was worn at universities in the 14th and 15th centuries, especially at Oxford and Cambridge. Late 19th century changes included the assignment of specific colors to signify academic disciplines. Modern academic dress in the United States has remained essentially unchanged since 1895, when it was standardized by the Intercollegiate Code.
Differing styles of gowns represent bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The bachelor’s gown has a long pointed sleeve, the master’s has a long closed sleeve with a slit for the arm at the elbow, and doctoral robes have full, bell-shaped sleeves with three velvet bands matching the velvet facing of the gown opening. The velvet on the doctoral gown can be colored to represent a specific discipline, and the gown itself can be black or a color chosen by the institution.
Hoods drape down the back of the gowns and are most commonly used to reflect master’s and doctoral degrees. They are lined in the official color of the institution which conferred the degree, with a chevron used for a second color if needed. The colored velvet binding indicates the academic area to which the degree pertains. For example, white for liberal arts, pink for music, yellow for science, purple for law, red for theology, green for medicine and blue for philosophy.
Caps, all with tassels, can be either the familiar square mortarboard or a rounded or multi-angular floppy style.
Cordiner Hall, a 1,400-seat concert auditorium, bears the name of the late Ralph Jarron Cordiner, a 1922 Whitman graduate who was president and CEO of the General Electric Company from 1950 to 1963. Cordiner Hall features a 3,000-pipe custom-built organ made by the Holtkamp Organ Company and a 9-foot Steinway Model D grand piano.