Carnegie Mellon University

Main Commencement Ceremony

During the weekend, we will honor the hard work and dedication of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree candidates. The ceremony will be held in Gesling Stadium and is open to graduates, families, guests and friends of the CMU community.

  • Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree candidates and their guests are invited to join the main commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 14, for the conferral of all degrees.
  • The main ceremony will include remarks from the president, keynote speaker, student speaker and academic deans, in addition to recognition of the honorary degree recipients.
  • The ceremony will take place on CMU’s campus and will be approximately 1.5 hours long.
  • There is no limit on number of guests who can attend the main commencement ceremony and tickets are not needed.
  • Seating is open in the stadium and includes bleachers and seating on the field. Download the seating map to easily find and locate your seating location and other key locations in Gesling Stadium.
  • Accessible seating is available on the field (up to four seats per accessible guest). Additional guests may sit in the bleachers. You do not need to contact us to utilize accessible seating.
  • The ceremony takes place outdoors in Gesling Stadium rain or shine. The stadium is not covered and there is no shade. Please plan accordingly.
  • Ponchose will be distributed, if necessary.

Bachelor's Degree Candidates

Commencement Ceremony
Sunday, May 14

8 a.m. Stadium Opens

9 a.m. Robing for students and faculty
Various locations across campus

9:15 a.m. Procession of Graduates
All guests should be seated by this time.

10 a.m. Ceremony

11:30 a.m.

Ceremony concludes

2023 Honorary Degree Recipients

An honorary degree is one of the highest distinctions the university bestows upon an individual, and awarding them is a long-standing tradition. Honorary degree recipients are an inspiration to the Carnegie Mellon community. The tradition reinforces the significance of the university in the world and honors those who have made an impact in the arts, business, computer science, engineering, humanities, policy, sciences or social sciences. Each year during commencement weekend, CMU awards honorary degree recipients during the main commencement ceremony in Gesling Stadium.

Fred Eversley (ENG 1964)

Artist
Doctor of Fine Arts

Learn more about Fred Eversley

Patrick Gelsinger

CEO, Intel Corporation
Doctor of Science and Technology
Keynote Speaker

Learn more about Patrick Gelsinger

Lt. General Gina M. Grosso (TPR 1986)

Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security and Preparedness United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Doctor of Public Service

Learn more about Lt. General Gina M. Grosso

Judith Light (CFA 1970)

Actor/Producer 
Doctor of Fine Arts

Learn more about Judith Light

David S. Shapira

Director, Board of Directors, Giant Eagle, Inc.
Chairman, David S. Shapira Foundation
Doctor of Science and Technology

Learn more about David S. Shapira

Nominations and Past Recipients

Visit CMU's honorary degree website for information about the nomination process and a complete listing of past recipients

Student Speaker

Prithu Pareek

Prithu Pareek is a senior at Carnegie Mellon University majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and currently serving as the President of the Undergraduate Student Senate. Originally from the Washington, D.C,. area, he is passionate about creating a more equitable and accessible world for people with disabilities through new assistive technologies and policies. This passion is fueled by his personal experiences living with muscular dystrophy. 

Prithu has had the opportunity to conduct research in human-robot interaction and assistive robotics at CMU and the Naval Research Laboratories in D.C. As part of this research, he recently developed a new motion planning algorithm that allows multi-armed robots to more safely and efficiently complete tasks in uncertain environments. Before this, he researched treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at Boston Children's Hospital. 

Prithu has a zeal for advocacy, working on several initiatives while serving as a Student Senator. As Chair of the Senate Business Affairs Committee, he successfully led an initiative to improve the hourly student worker experience and raise the campus-wide minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 an hour and successfully advocated for a campus-wide day of service holiday on Election Day. After CMU, he will be working in the Bay Area as a motion planning engineer at Aurora, an autonomous vehicle company.