Baccalaureate

5:00 – 6:15 p.m., Saturday, Chapin Hall

The word Baccalaureate refers not only to the degree that will be conferred at Commencement Exercises upon the graduating class, but also to an occasion of prayerful reflection expressing gratitude for the privilege of learning and the vocation to service.

As such, our Baccalaureate service sets the academic accomplishments which we will honor at Commencement into the frame of the eternal and unfinished quest for wisdom.  It is built upon the exhortation, held in common by the world’s great religious traditions, to share the fruits of learning with an open mind, a compassionate heart, and a generous spirit.

The ritual acts of praise, reflection, remembrance and prayer conspire to make us mindful that knowledge is not a destination, but rather a path leading toward the quality of community for which we continue to yearn in all the languages of human spirituality.

In this common spirit, in this remarkable company, in service to this noble goal, we will gather on the eve of Commencement to remember, to rejoice, and to give thanks. This year’s Baccalaureate Speaker is Gregory Boyle.

Baccalaureate has limited seating and is therefore a ticketed event, but live-stream viewing will be available in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall and the Presser Choral Room in Bernhard Music Center.  Only students can reserve (up to two) tickets for guests. Seniors will receive instructions about how to request tickets in April.

Face masks are required. Vaccination status or Williams IDs will be checked at the door (with the exception of students processing).