Commencement by the numbers
Location of the first Vanderbilt Commencement: The chapel of Main
Building, now Kirkland Hall, on Wednesday, June 21, 1876. Chancellor Garland
awarded degrees to 44 men who came from nine states and one foreign country,
China.
Years Commencement has been held on Alumni Lawn: 1997 is the 10th
year Commencement has been held on Alumni Lawn.
Last time it rained on Commencement : 1970
It has rained six times since Commencement ceremonies were moved out onto
Library Lawn in 1949.
Number of chairs on Alumni Lawn: 13,200
Number of total chairs on campus: 22,800
First speaker at Commencement: Frederick A.P. Barnard, president
of Columbia University, in 1875
The last time a guest speaker spoke at Commencement: 1955
Dean Rusk, then president of the Rockefeller Foundation, was the last guest
speaker.
Number of processions:
7 simultaneous degree candidate processions
2 faculty processions
1 procession for the Chancellor, Trustees
Year current format of Commencement was adopted: 1977
The last year all diplomas were awarded in the same location: 1976
- Information courtesy of the Commencement Office
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This document created May 22, 1997
HTML Translation by Billy Kingsley