Senior Celebration

We look forward to welcoming seniors and their guests to campus for an in-person Senior Celebration (a.k.a. commencement) on Monday, May 31, 2021. All seniors, whether on campus or studying remotely, are eligible and welcome to participate in-person, as are students who completed their degree requirements in December 2020, as well as those on track to complete their requirements in December 2021.

The ceremony will begin at noon on Farley-Lamb Field at noon, and the Procession will begin at 11:30 am. The site will open for guest seating at 10:00 am. We request families limit the number of guests in their party to six. To avoid damage to the turf field, only shoes with a flat bottom from toe to heel will be permitted. Footwear including sneakers, platform shoes, and wedges are fine.

The ceremony will be live-streamed on the Commencement website and shown in Williamstown on WilliNet TV, channel 1303. In the event of extreme weather (lightning, wind, and/or hail), we will shift to an entirely virtual celebration streamed via commencement.williams.edu.

The 1.5 hour program will focus on honoring of student accomplishments. Each student will have their name read and, if in attendance, have the chance to cross the stage and be recognized. The class speaker, poet, historian and musician will all be part of the proceedings. 

We’re calling this a Senior Celebration rather than “commencement” or “graduation” because seniors won’t actually become Williams graduates until final grades are tabulated and transcripts are complete. We expect the college trustees to approve senior grades on June 13, after which diplomas will be mailed to all graduates. 

By attending, seniors, guests, faculty, and staff are attesting to the fact that they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and have not recently been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. For more information, please visit the Commencement website.

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