Please continue to check this webpage for the most up-to-date commencement information and livestream links.
Commencement Speakers Announced
McDaniel College announces Commencement speakers for the 2024 undergraduate and graduate ceremonies to be held on Saturday, May 18. Undergraduate Commencement speaker is higher education leader Freeman A. Hrabowski III. Graduate coordinator Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair at McDaniel, will provide remarks during the graduate ceremony. In addition, an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree will be awarded during the undergraduate ceremony to Greg Kahlert, president of the Kahlert Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofits, including McDaniel, along with other education, health care, youth programs, veterans organizations, and human services organizations.
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Speaker
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), is a dynamic and visionary higher education leader. Dr. Hrabowski served as president at UMBC from 1992 to 2022, expanding college access for students from all backgrounds and transforming UMBC into a national leader.
An educator, author, and mathematician, he is also known for his advocacy for science and math education, particularly for minority students. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report, "Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads." In 2012, President Barack Obama named him chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans and his 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.”
Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair, McDaniel College
Dr. Kerby began her career as a kindergarten teacher with the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas, and was a librarian before coming to teach at McDaniel in 1994. In 2012, she earned a prestigious Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to fund 12 full scholarships for teachers working in underserved regions in Maryland to earn master’s degrees in School Librarianship from McDaniel.
Commencement Week Events
Please continue to check this webpage as we will continue to add additional events leading up to Commencement.
Friday, May 17, 10 a.m.
ROTC Commissioning
Baker Memorial Chapel
Graduating seniors from McDaniel who are part of the Green Terror Battalion Army ROTC program are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Army ROTC has been a tradition at the college since 1919, and the Green Terror Battalion, which includes cadets from McDaniel, Hood College and Mount St. Mary’s, is one of the oldest ROTC programs in the nation.
Friday, May 17, 6:30 p.m.
Senior Investiture and Honors Convocation
Baker Memorial Chapel
Graduating seniors receive academic, activity and leadership awards during McDaniel College’s annual Senior Investiture and Honors Convocation. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for family and friends.)
Graduation Products
Herff Jones provides class rings, commencement regalia, announcements, college diploma frames, and other graduation products.
McDaniel College solicits potential Commencement speakers who exemplify the mission and values of the college and have made distinguished and notable contributions to society through scholarship or service. Suggestions must be received by October 13 in order to be considered for the upcoming ceremony.
Celebrate Your Graduate with a Yard Sign!#McDaniel24
Celebrate your McDaniel grad major life accomplishment with a Yard Sign. Signs are available to purchase through the McDaniel College Bookstore Spirit Shop.
McDaniel College solicits potential Commencement speakers who exemplify the mission and values of the college and have made distinguished and notable contributions to society through scholarship or service. Suggestions must be received by October 13 in order to be considered for the upcoming ceremony.
