Commencement 2023
In Photos: Harvard’s 372nd Commencement Exercises
Commencement returned to Harvard this week as the University celebrated the Class of 2023.
President Bacow Bids Farewell to Harvard, Confers 1,850 College Degrees at 372nd Commencement
Outgoing University President Lawrence S. Bacow told graduates that he, like the Class of 2023, is “wondering what the future holds,” as he said goodbye to Harvard during Commencement morning exercises on Thursday.
Tom Hanks Urges Students to ‘Embrace Liberty’ in Harvard Commencement Address
Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks urged Harvard’s Class of 2023 to “embrace liberty and freedom” during the University’s 372nd Commencement exercises on Thursday.
For a Bright Future, Hold Fast to a North Star
Hold fast to your North Star. Choose it consciously, and make sure it reflects your values. Let it steer what you do and how you serve. As you rise in your careers, you will encounter many different agendas and value systems.
Advice From a Harvard Elder
Members of the Harvard graduating class of 2023, it is my hope that despite shouldering the burden of debts and the power to reform the education system for future generations, you will prosper.
Celebrating the Stories
This is an essay of appreciation for all the students whose time here has been defined by milestones that they may never share with their professors or future employers. The ones who arrived on campus burdened with sometimes difficult stories, but who then also came to realize that they didn’t have to be wholly defined by those stories — that they had the ability to become authors of new stories, stories of their own.
What Kind of Intelligence?
As you go forth from the protected space of Harvard, don’t be afraid of tech — use it in all the ways that enhance our current imperfect realities. But don’t forget the immense power of human collaboration in the face of staggering obstacles.
A Letter from the 2023 Class Marshals
The Class Marshals for the Class of 2023 reflect on college and thank their classmates.
Public Service Is Its Own Reward
Whether it is in your career or as a volunteer in your community, I encourage you to do something to serve. Advance your career, yes, but also measure your success but what you do for others — students taught, victims counseled, patients healed.
To the Class of 2023: On Self-Censorship
To express yourself fully means to fashion your own identity. And to do that, the danger of being offended in your identity becomes a vital point: You must be free both to take offense when you are disrespected and to give offense when your own identity demands it.
Indifference Is the Enemy of Democracy
I have spent my professional life at Human Rights Watch taking on powerful forces. The task can seem daunting, but I have seen the enormous difference that even a handful of individuals can make. Your generation is perhaps better placed than any previous one to make itself heard.
Striving in Times of Strife
Our lives are frequently upended by uncontrolled and unforeseen events that shake our confidence in the future. In that event, we can either falter or become even more determined to engage in action that centers on the common good.
A Post-Covid Campus by Students, for Students
Harvard is a university drenched in history, influenced by a chain of traditions, norms, and practices stretching back centuries. The pandemic’s blip on this record has torn us away from institutional inertia, offering us near-limitless potential for what our campus could look like.
Former President of Costa Rica Urges HSPH Graduates to Love What They Do
Former President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado Quesada addressed the Harvard School of Public Health’s Class of 2023 at their convocation Wednesday, encouraging graduates to “do what you love, love what you do.”
Ahead of Harvard Commencement, Graduating Students Celebrate Accomplishments with Affinity Ceremonies
Harvard student groups hosted affinity celebrations for graduating students across the University on Monday and Tuesday, bringing together students of shared identity as part of this year’s Commencement festivities.
‘I Had to Prevail’: Wall Street Exec Ray McGuire ’79 Talks Resilience at Harvard Business School Class Day
Harvard Business School graduating students, affiliates, and families gathered on Baker Lawn Wednesday for the school’s class day ceremony, which featured an address from Wall Street executive Raymond J. McGuire ’79.
In Photos: Affinity Celebrations for the Class of 2023
Harvard graduates from historically marginalized groups attended affinity celebrations on Monday and Tuesday, prior to Thursday Commencement exercises. At the ceremonies, students received a stole or commemorative gift created for their affinity group.
Ban Ki-moon, Former UN Leader, Calls on Harvard Kennedy School Grads to Embrace Global Citizenship
Ban Ki-moon, who served as secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016, slammed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called on Harvard Kennedy School graduates to take action on the climate crisis during the school’s graduation address Wednesday afternoon.
As it Happened: Harvard Commencement 2023
Members of Harvard’s graduating Class of 2023 are set to receive their degrees in the University’s 2023 Commencement ceremony, held in Tercentenary Theatre. Follow our live updates.
‘How to Survive the Fall in Three Easy Steps’: Michelle Yeoh Addresses the Harvard Law School Class of 2023
Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh addressed Harvard Law School’s Class of 2023 during the school’s Class Day ceremony at Holmes Field Wednesday afternoon, sharing advice for graduates as they embark on the next stage of their legal careers.
The Changing Faces of a Harvard Education
To meet this uncertain moment, each figure within Harvard’s multifaceted model of education will need to face one another and work in tandem, producing a kaleidoscopic vision of our University’s future in which all students, affiliates, and graduates may see themselves accurately reflected amidst ongoing change.
Ruth Simmons Urges HGSE Graduates to Inspire Future Learners
Ruth J. Simmons — a former president of Brown University and the first Black leader of an Ivy League institution — told the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Class of 2023 to “nourish and inspire generations of learners” during the school’s convocation ceremony Wednesday, one day before University-wide Commencement exercises.
At Harvard Class Day 2023, Comedian Larry Wilmore Calls on Graduating Seniors to Pursue Their Passions
Emmy Award-winning television writer and comedian Larry Wilmore addressed the Harvard College Class of 2023 Wednesday, encouraging students to view success as a journey rather than a destination.
Harvard Holds Inaugural Affinity Celebration for Graduates with Disabilities
Harvard held its first affinity celebration for graduates with disabilities in a Monday ceremony that highlighted the accomplishments of students from across the University.
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