Honoring Duquesne’s New Graduates

Each May, students, families, faculty and staff come together to celebrate years of hard work, determination and growth, as graduates prepare to step forward into lives and careers shaped by a horizon-expanding education. From the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony to school-specific celebrations, this year’s Commencement events offer meaningful opportunities to recognize both academic achievement and the people who helped make it possible.

The celebration begins Thursday, May 7, with the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony at 6 p.m. in the Power Center Ballroom. Ceremonies continue through May, bringing together graduates from every school and discipline to mark this important milestone.

Friday, May 8

• Baccalaureate Mass—8:30 a.m., Student Union Ballroom
• McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts—10:30 a.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
• Palumbo-Donahue School of Business—2 p.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Gary Aletto, B'09, owner and Chief Executive Officer of Bright Sheet Metal Company, Inc.
• John G. Rangos Sr. School of Health Sciences & Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine—6 p.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Saturday, May 9

•  School of Nursing—9 a.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Allison Squires, MSN'99, professor at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Founder and Director of the Global Consortium of Nursing & Midwifery Studies
• Mary Pappert School of Music—11 a.m., Student Union Ballroom. Distinguished Alumni Award: Samuel R. Hazo, M'88, ME'92 conductor, composer and lecturer.
• School of Education—1 p.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Dr. Robert Scherrer, executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
• School of Science and Engineering—4 p.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Samir Hifri, MBA'98, chairman and president of Covestro, LLC.

Saturday, May 16

• Mass—9:30 a.m., Chapel of the Holy Spirit
• Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University—11 a.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Duquesne University President Ken Gormley. 

Saturday, May 23

• Mass—8 a.m., Chapel of the Holy Spirit
• School of Pharmacy—10:30 a.m., UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Commencement Speaker: Dr. Gordon Vanscoy, PharmD'86, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Vanscoy Rare, CEO and chairman of RareMed Solutions, LLC. 

As each school takes its turn on the Commencement stage, the ceremonies reflect the strength of our University community and serve as a reminder of the lasting impact of a Duquesne education.