Ceremony Marshals
Key Dates and Times for Commencement Weekend Marshals
- Thursday, May 17, at 10:00 a.m. - All Marshals
Commencement rehearsal with Senior Class on Samuel Mather Lawn - Friday, May 18, at 8:30 a.m. - Marshals for Faculty Lines Only
Baccalaureate rehearsal with Flagbearers followed by rehearsal with Platform party - Friday, May 18, at 1:00 p.m. - Marshals for Faculty Lines Only
Baccalaureate procession forms on Middle Path - Saturday, May 19, at 8:00 a.m. - All Marshals
Commencement rehearsal with Flagbearers followed by rehearsal with platform party - Saturday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. - All Marshals
Commencement procession forms on Middle Path
What do marshals really do anyway?
No procession would ever make it up Middle Path without the hard work of our many faculty and staff marshals at Commencement!
Our current Senior Faculty Marshal is Professor Laurie Finke. She and a stalwart team of volunteer marshals from Kenyon's faculty and staff take care of all aspects of lining up faculty, staff, and students, processing in good order, peeling in stately fashion, seating everyone in a timely manner, and keeping the excited and emotional senior class in the correct order to receive their diplomas. (Yes, the graduates' diplomas are actually in those fancy tubes!)
They are also responsible for "crowd control" while students are being hooded, receiving their diplomas, having their photos taken, and walking to and from their seats. (A crowd of 1,800 excited family members and friends can become more than a little chaotic!) The concert bouncers at the Germain Amphitheatre have nothing on our marshals!
How are marshals designated?
Invitations to assist with marshaling will go out in late spring, but you are also welcome to throw your name into the mix! (Simply e-mail Laurie Finke at finkel@kenyon.edu) Past marshals have enjoyed spending a little extra time with the graduating class or visiting up and down the lines of faculty and staff during the line-up on Middle Path.
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Before you know it, we will find ourselves lining up on Middle Path once again!
And now, a plug for some additional unsung heroes!: Two more important areas that most guests will overlook in the excitement are the hood and diploma marshals. The "job" of hooding students (and double-checking the walking order one final time) traditionally falls to Jim Steen, Head Coach for Men's and Women's Swimming, Elizabeth Forman, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Tacci Smith, Associate Dean of Students, and Samantha Hughes, Judicial Affairs Coordinator. The 400+ diplomas awarded each spring are kept in admirable order by Ellen Harbourt, Registrar, and Chris Kennerly, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs. Huzzah!