If you live in Hanover, whether you are connected to Dartmouth College or not, it’s impossible to ignore graduation weekend. About 10,000 visitors come to the area to celebrate a friend’s or family member’s rite of passage from student to the next phase of life. Like other universities, Dartmouth recognizes its annual graduating class through this institutional custom, launching those seniors and graduate students into the world. That’s why it’s called “commencement.” It’s the start of one’s professional life, next academic pursuit, or some other new chapter, whatever that might be.

“There’s an excitement and a buzz in town,” says Martha Beattie ’76, a resident of Hanover who will be one of the 50th-reunion alums to lead this year’s procession. “It’s both wonderful and bittersweet, the end and a fabulous beginning. Graduation honors the past while saying good-bye. I love the pomp and circumstance.” As a member of the class of ’76, Martha was in the first four-year coeducational class at Dartmouth, and she served as the first female vice president of alumni relations beginning in 2011 to 2017.

Like graduations at other schools, seniors wear a cap and gown. There are congratulatory speeches by the college president, class valedictorian, and others of inspirational note. Degrees are handed out, and then the graduates cheer and toss their mortarboards into the air. While these traditions are universal, others are unique to Dartmouth.

This June marks Dartmouth’s 255th commencement. Under-standing its traditions is an important part of appreciating this annual ceremony.

 

The First Graduation

Dartmouth conducted its first graduation in August, not June, in 1771. The ceremony was held on the Green, where it still takes place today, though there were some years that it was held
elsewhere on the college campus.

That first graduation caused barely a blip in Hanover. Instead of conferring around 2,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees, the college awarded only four, to Levi Frisbie, Samuel Gray, Sylvanus Ripley, and John Wheelock. Frisbie became a missionary among the Delaware Indians. Gray spent his career as a lawyer in Windham, Connecticut, and served as a commissary general during the American Revolution. Ripley stayed in Hanover as a professor of divinity and a college trustee, and John Wheelock, the oldest son of the college’s founder, Eleazar Wheelock, succeeded his father as the college president. All four members of this first class came to the newly chartered college from Yale and only for their senior year. John Wentworth, colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time, was the only trustee in attendance.

 

Lord Dartmouth’s Cup

Another enduring tradition is the Lord Dartmouth’s Cup, which is carried by the college usher (usually the head librarian), who walks in the processional behind the president and dean of the college but ahead of the trustees, and then places it on the stage. The college and the cup are named for William Legge, second Earl of Dartmouth, who served as secretary of state for the British colonies until he resigned after the Boston Tea Party. Eleazar Wheelock named the college after the earl in hopes of gaining his patronage. The two-foot-tall, ornate silver “trophy” dates back to 1848 but did not come to the college until 1969. The ninth Earl of Dartmouth presented the cup to the college during its bicentennial to honor the tie between the college and its namesake.

The Bagpiper

Leading the parade of undergraduates from their assembly point in Leede Arena to their seats on the Green is a bagpiper. The bright, regal tones of the instrument shout the importance of the ceremony across much of Hanover. The tradition began in 1953, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the commencement address. Since his own graduation, Joshua Marks, class of 1996, has donned a kilt and piped for each subsequent class, rain or shine.

“To be honest, I remember the bad-weather years more than the sunny days,” said Joshua Marks in an interview with Dartmouth College prior to piping at the 2017 graduation. “1998 was the worst rain event so far. I play no matter what, but there was a lot of wet wool involved that year. There’s nothing quite like wet wool in June.”

 

Senior Walking Sticks

For example, Sphinx, which started in the 1880s, is based in the concrete mausoleum-like building on East Wheelock Street known as the Sphinx Tomb, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Members of Sphinx carry a wooden staff during the graduation ceremony with a carved sphinx on top, which reveals their membership in this secret society.

The tradition originated as a 19th century men’s fashion statement, when gentlemen carried canes as an upper-class accessory. The custom was initially adopted at Dartmouth as a way for upperclassmen to signal that they were not first-years. Now, it’s a graduation tradition.

“At my graduation I remember carrying a senior cane . . . with the initials of friends etched on the shaft,” says Chuck Sherman ’66. Among these was “OWL,” the initials of Omer LaCasse. His name endures as Omer & Bob’s bike shop, now in Lebanon.

 

Eagle Staff

Another staff that has become part of Dartmouth graduation for the last decade is the Eagle Staff, which honors Native American veterans, students, and programs at the college. It was created by Trudell Guerue ’74, a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation who was wounded in the Vietnam War prior to matriculating at the college.

During graduation, the Eagle Staff is displayed next to the Lord Dartmouth Cup. It’s adorned with eagle feathers, a Vietnam Service Medal ribbon, and 21 Purple Heart ribbons in memory of the 21 Native Dartmouth students who died in Vietnam. It symbolizes courage and responsibility, and recognizes the college’s location on ancestral Abenaki lands.

 

 

Wampum Belt

One other ceremonial item is on display at the front of the stage, a wampum belt. The Mohegan tribe gifted the belt to the college in 2022 after Samuel Occom’s
papers were given back to the tribe. Though Occom did not study at Dartmouth, he played an instrumental role in gaining support for the college from King George III. The wampum belt symbolizes the college’s good relationship with the Mohegans and its commitment to educating Indigenous students from all tribes. What’s more, Indigenous students are exempted from the strict cap-and-gown dress code and may add traditional Indigenous regalia to their graduation attire.

 

Flude Medal

Another valued item associated with Dartmouth graduation is the Flude Medal, a medallion that’s gold on one side and silver on the other. It dangles from a gold chain around the neck of the college president as part of her academic attire. John Flude, a silversmith and pawnbroker, crafted the medal in London and then gave it to John Wheelock in 1785, likely as a show of support for the young college. The gold side shows a scene from Aesop’s fable, “The Old Man and his Sons.”  The silver side has an early American flag. The message, “Unanimity is the strength of society,” is also engraved on it.

 

Old Pine Lectern

For anyone watching the ceremony, you can’t miss the Old Pine Lectern, the enormous pine stump that serves as the podium on the stage. The lectern honors the original lone pine, a symbol of the college, which grew on observatory hill before it was cut down in 1895. Legend says that three Native Americans chanted a farewell song around it, after which it became a gathering spot for seniors during the 1800s, who sang “Auld Lang Syne” before graduating. Though the lectern is pine, it’s not hewn from the original old pine.

 

Honorary Degrees

Each year, Dartmouth awards six to nine honorary degrees to people who are truly outstanding in their fields and who have enriched our world. The list is long and diverse, including politicians, businessmen and women, diplomats, humanitarians, scholars, scientists, writers, athletes, and entertainers.

Dartmouth awards honorary doctorates in Arts, Humane Letters, Laws, Letters, Literature, and Science. Students, faculty, and alumni all have the chance to nominate the recipients of honorary degrees, which are then reviewed by a special committee. The college president also meets with members of the graduating class to hear what qualities define their class and who the class role models are, to ensure the honorees reflect the core values of the graduating class. There are a few rules: Active politicians, current employees of the college, and current students are not eligible. Recipients must be living and able to accept the degree in person, and the college trustees have the final say.

 

Keynote Speech

Typically, the featured graduation speaker is one of the honorary degree recipients. As you would expect, the message encourages the graduating class to make the most of what lies ahead with some tips on how to do that.

Throughout the history of the college, its graduation speakers have been a Who’s Who of outstanding people worth listening to. Here’s a sampling of some of those memorable messages:

“‘Effortless’ . . . is a myth. I mean it. I say that as someone who has heard that word a lot.” —Roger Federer, professional tennis player (2024)

“Legacy isn’t just something you leave behind. It’s something you build.” —Russell Wilson, NFL quarterback (2022)

“Now, it is time to ‘Greet the world, from the hills, with a hail!’—a world that badly needs your spirit and enthusiasm is waiting for you.” —Annette Gordon-Reed ’81, author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and professor at Harvard Law School

“Let us remember: Every struggle for reform, innovation, or justice starts with a voice in the wilderness . . . Be a voice in the wilderness.” —Yo-Yo Ma, while playing his cello (2020)

“Do not stress if you have no idea what you want to do with the rest of your life. View these years . . . as a journey, as an adventure. Adventures are not seamless trips from point A to point B. They have ups and downs and obstacles.” —Jake Tapper ’91, CNN anchor (2017)

“Each of you has a task to resist, especially now, in this country, the politics of division, discrimination, and oppression.” —Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner (2016)

And then there was Conan O’Brien’s 2011 keynote address, “from behind a tree trunk,” which sent the students and dignitaries into a fit of laughter.

 

Latin Diplomas

Dartmouth graduations end with the giving of the diplomas. They are written in Latin as a nod to the Italian Renaissance, during which the study of Latin and Greek was the basis of higher education. Even if graduates can’t read Latin, the significance is obvious. They now hold a globally respected degree from Dartmouth College and have successfully transitioned from students to alumni.

“While exact numbers vary year to year, we know that commencement more than doubles the population of Hanover,” says Morgan Brophy, president and CEO of the Upper Valley Business Alliance. “That surge of visiting families and alumni has a noticeable impact on the rhythm of the region for several days. For many businesses, commencement is an early season boost and a chance to make a strong first impression on visitors who may be discovering the region for the first time. While hotels and dining are the most visible beneficiaries, the impact reaches much further, touching retail shops, florists, salons, transportation services, and everyday businesses that see an uptick in activity. Overall, it’s an opportunity to showcase the hospitality, creativity, and sense of place that define the Upper Valley. The economic impact matters, but just as important are the impressions formed, because today’s visiting family can easily become tomorrow’s returning guest, customer, or advocate for the region.” 

“Not many towns have such a celebration,” says Martha Beattie. “Despite the traffic and craziness, you are surrounded by those who have done and will do remarkable things. Dartmouth graduation is a gift to Hanover . . . Everyone is welcome on the Green to hear the words and celebrate the joy of this special day and its traditions. The spirit of community is so strong. It’s Dartmouth at its best.” 

 

 

Sidebar:

Mark Your Calendar!

Here are the dates for Dartmouth graduation
from this June through 2028: June 14, 2026; June 13, 2027; and June 11, 2028.