Recent Events
October 26, 2009 - Convocation Honoring UN Secretary-General. In a special convocation held in Meany Hall the University conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
September 27, 2009 - Freshman Convocation. The year got off to a grand start as President Emmert and the University's regents, deans, faculty and administrators gathered to welcome the incoming class at the 26th Annual Freshman Convocation. 5,000 new students and their family members and guests assembled in the Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
June 13, 2009 - University of Washington Commencement Ceremony at Husky Stadium. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave the commencement address and was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Secretary Gates is shown below with President Emmert (left) and Craig W. Cole, chairman of the Board of Regents.
(Click on photo for enlarged image).
May 18, 2008 - The Long Journey Home: Honoring UW Nikkei Students of 1941-1942
An historic academic convocation was held on May 18th to honor all the Japanese American UW students, both living and deceased, who were forced to leave campus in 1942 as a result of an executive order, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, that led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans on the west coast. The honorees were awarded honorary Bachelor of Arts degrees at the ceremony. The Seattle Times and the UW Daily reported on the event, which received a great deal of national and international media coverage. An archived video of the ceremony is available at UWTV.
April 14, 2008 - Honorary Degree Ceremony for the His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. An archived video of the ceremony is available at UWTV.
Office of Ceremonies
The Office of Ceremonies produces what President Emmert has referred to as "the two most consequential ceremonies" of a student's academic life: the Freshman Convocation and the University of Washington Commencement. Convocation and Commencement are the only ceremonies at which the entire University - its faculty, staff, administration, and all 18 schools and colleges - unites to celebrate its fundamental purpose: to provide students with a transformative educational experience and instill in them a passion for learning.
These ceremonies also showcase the University's excellence, its vision and reach, to the entire world. At convocation new students are welcomed into the University community and begin to get a sense of the voyage of discovery that awaits them. At Commencement we share their achievements, as well as those of our outstanding faculty and alumni, with 35,000 guests at Husky Stadium and, via the web, a national and international audience.
The events produced by the Office of Ceremonies are among the largest and most important public events held by the University. They are the vehicles through which we share our mission with the larger community and nuture a shared commitment to the University's winning traditions.
These ceremonies offer proof that dreams can come true, that a better world awaits us, and that the future burns bright with promise.
Honorary Degrees
Occasionally the University honors renowned world leaders at special honorary ceremonies planned by the Office of Ceremonies. Recent honorary degree recipients include the 14th Dalai Lama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (photo above right), Yakima tribal elder and linguist Virginia Beavert (shown in photo below with President Emmert (left) and Chairman of the Board of Regents Craig W. Cole. Click on photo for enlarged image), and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
For more information on honorary degrees click on the "Honorary Degrees" link in the navigation bar.
For more information contact:
Office of Ceremonies
(206) 543-2592
freshcon@u.washington.edu