First institution-wide commencement in decades will celebrate entire Class of 2022

More than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students will be honored during a ‘one University’ ceremony in Fauver Stadium.

With a stage stretching 90 yards, two large video screens, and eight-foot flags representing the University of Rochester’s eight schools, Fauver Stadium will have a distinct and unusual look on Friday, May 13, for its largest commencement ceremony in decades.

“One thing’s for sure,” says Sarabeth Rogoff ’93, board services and University events manager, who serves as commencement committee chair. “Fauver Stadium will not look like Fauver Stadium.”

The 5,000-seat athletic venue, home to several University varsity teams in the Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex, will be transformed into a huge celebration zone for the conferral of academic degrees for more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The event marks a return to Rochester’s traditional commencement exercises that were held until the early 1990s. President Sarah Mangelsdorf has been interested in reviving the “one University” format since arriving in 2019, but the plan was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The president thought it was important to bring the community together to celebrate our graduates, who have been through some real bumps in the road,” Rogoff says.

Back to the future at Fauver

The University’s Commencement has shifted venues over the past 100 years: Eastman Theatre (1923–52), Fauver (1953–66), the Community War Memorial (1967–71), Eastman again (1972–86), and then back to Fauver (1987–95). It had been held on the Eastman Quadrangle since 1996—except for in 2020, when the pandemic forced its cancellation.

Friday’s two-hour event kicks off a celebration that will extend into the weekend as academic schools and departments honor graduates during school-specific graduation events. The Eastman Wind Ensemble, conducted by Mark Scatterday, is set to perform, and the carillon will play music as guests arrive. The complex will be set up with 7,100 field seats, with additional bleachers to accommodate more people as needed.

“Our entire staff has been working tirelessly, and we’ve had enormous help from Facilities and Services, Horticulture and Grounds, Environment Health and Safety, Dining Services, Athletics, Parking, and Public Safety,” says Christine Rovet, executive director of Event and Classroom Management. “This has been the biggest group effort that I’ve ever been involved with.”

Former Rochester television personality Norma Holland, director of public relations and engagement for URMC’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, will share University history before the ceremony and then announce each school as its members enters the field. The platform will include Mangelsdorf, the cabinet, the board of trustees, award winners, faculty members, and speakers.

“We’re here to create a moment and a memory,” Rogoff says. “And to celebrate our students, who have been through so much.”

Rogoff moved to the Office of the Secretary last December from Event and Classroom Management, and soon after was tasked with heading the commencement planning. “I’ve done events for 25 years, and the way I look at any event is, what is the experience going to be like for the guests and attendees? Any decision made is because we want the graduates to have a great experience.”

Plenty of pomp amid remarkable circumstances

Rogoff’s 1993 graduation ceremony was held at Fauver, and she still remembers the excitement of walking into the packed stadium. “I loved seeing my parents in the stands, and all the pomp and circumstance,” she says. “It was special.”

Rogoff promises plenty of pomp for a graduating class that has endured the most unexpected of circumstances. The University closed all campuses in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and students have endured hybrid classes and masks for much of their time at Rochester.

“It has been nothing short of difficult to be a college student not only during the pandemic but also with everything else that’s been going on in the world the past two years,” says Victoria Liverpool ’22, an international relations major from Montclair, New Jersey, and president of the senior class council. “I lost my dad in 2020 and my aunt this year. It had me feeling hopeless, and like nothing mattered. After everything we’ve been through, it’s important that we all come together and celebration the success of everyone in the Class of 2022.”

Liverpool will be one of Friday’s speakers, representing the undergraduate class, and says her speech will focus on “resilience, personal impact, and the motivation to keep going.” Lorna Washington ’22W (EdD) will also speak on behalf of the University’s graduate students.

“It’s over in two hours,” Rogoff says, “but hopefully we’ll help create a special moment for our University community, as well as a lot of memories.”

More about Commencement 2022