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Whitworth to Celebrate the Class of 2023 During Commencement Weekend May 20-21

April 21, 2023

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The time for the undergraduate commencement ceremony has been moved up to 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 21st in an effort to keep our guests safe and comfortable as temperatures are expected to be unseasonably high that day.  As a result of the commencement ceremony time change, Whitworth Baccalaureate Service will be held at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, in Cowles Auditorium.

Whitworth is pleased to welcome graduates, family members and community members to the Whitworth Pine Bowl for the 2023 commencement ceremonies May 20-21. 

Graduate Ceremony: Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.

One hundred and fifty-seven graduate students will participate in the graduate commencement ceremony. This ceremony will not require tickets, and graduates may invite as many guests as they would like. Whitworth President Scott McQuilkin will be the keynote speaker.

Undergraduate Ceremony: Sunday, May 21, 10 a.m.

Six hundred and fifteen students will participate in Sunday’s undergraduate ceremony. Tickets will be required for all guests. Graduates will receive a total of six tickets. All additional tickets have already been distributed through multiple rounds of a ticket lottery system in December 2022 and March 2023. 

The Rev. Paul Cunningham, Whitworth trustee, will lead the processional. Pete Tucker ’91, professor of mathematics & computer science, will give the invocation. Erica Salkin, associate professor of communication studies and associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, will deliver the commencement address, “Small Acts of Courage.”

This year’s President’s Cup recipients will be recognized during the ceremony. They are Emma Foulk, Sarah Immel, Meagan Kaloostian, Helio Ramollari, Rebecca Strauch and Genevieve Symons. The winner of the Servant Leadership Award will be announced. 

Both ceremonies will be livestreamed on the Whitworth YouTube channel. For more information on Commencement Weekend, including parking and ticketing/seating information, click here

Details about the additional undergraduate Commencement Weekend events – Senior Service of Communion & Commissioning, Senior Reflections, and Baccalaureate – can be found here.

About Whitworth University:

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university has an enrollment of about 2,500 students and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu