The 2016 Commencement Student Marshal

College holds two commencement ceremonies to meet needs of graduates

Penn State Berks will hold two separate ceremonies for its spring commencement on Saturday, May 6, 2017 in the Beaver Community Center.

Penn State Berks will hold two separate ceremonies for its spring commencement. On Saturday, May 6, 2017, the first commencement ceremony will be held for students graduating from the EBC (Engineering, Business, and Computing) Division at 10 a.m. The second ceremony for students graduating from the HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) Division and the Science Division will be held at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies will be in the Beaver Community Center.

For the EBC ceremony at 10 a.m., students are required to arrive at the Perkins Student Center at 9 a.m. for registration, instructions, and robing. Guests must arrive no later than 9:45 a.m. for seating; the Beaver Community Center will open at 8:30 a.m. There will be a reception prior to the ceremony, from 7:30–9 a.m. in Multipurpose Room, located in the Perkins Student Center. For more information about degrees within the EBC Division, visit the EBC Division page.

For the HASS and Science ceremony at 2 p.m., students are required to arrive at the Perkins Student Center at 1 p.m. for registration, instructions, and robing. Guests must arrive no later than 1:45 p.m. for seating; the Beaver Community Center will open at 12:30 p.m. There will be a reception immediately following the ceremony in Multipurpose Room, located in the Perkins Student Center. For more information about degrees within the HASS Division, visit the HASS Division page and for the Science Division, visit the Science Division page.

The decision to hold two separate spring commencement ceremonies was necessitated by the growing number of degree graduates and the first year this took place was 2015. This May, a new class of approximately 200 Penn State Berks students will participate in the ceremony, receiving their baccalaureate and associate degrees. Nearly 250 students will have earned their degrees from Penn State Berks.

Pedro A. Rivera, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, will be the keynote speaker for both ceremonies. A lifelong educator, Rivera brings extensive experience in public education to his role as a member of Governor Wolf's cabinet and has spent his entire career helping students.