t was a festive occasion on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 1851, when the first seven graduates of the University, all men, received their undergraduate degrees. Curators and trustees, family members and friends of several graduates, some faculty members, and dignitaries from Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., traveled by stage and canal boat to attend the ceremony. Among them was the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and Secretary of State under President James K. Polk, the Honorable James Buchanan, a curator of the University who was elected president of the United States in 1856.

The Academy Building, now Taylor Hall, was the site of Bucknell’s first Commencement on Aug. 20, 1851.

The long hours of the Commencement ceremony began with a processional from the Baptist church (a public parking lot is now on the Third Street site, behind the post office) to the Academy Building (now Taylor Hall). Curators, trustees, professors, graduates and visitors marched along the boardwalk that divided the Grove and the farmland along what is now University Avenue. Not all of the visitors found seats on the upper floor of the Academy Building, the site for chapel services during the school year, which was designated as Commencement Hall for this event.

These seven graduates had begun their studies in the basement of the old Baptist church in 1847 (a new church was completed in 1870), one year after the University received its charter, and continued their studies in the Academy Building, completed in 1848, and in the west wing of Old Main (now part of Roberts Hall), completed in 1850.

Evergreen dominated the platform on which the graduates and dignitaries were seated, and an arch of artificial flowers festooned with the word Ducimus (“we lead the way”) framed the heads of the speakers. The candidates for degrees shared one academic gown, exchanging it in a booth to the rear of the platform, when each came forward to deliver an oration.

Male attire was white vests, black cutaway coats and black pants. Each of the seven members of the Class of 1851 wore a blue artificial rose on his left lapel as a symbol of his new status.

Oratory and music filled the next several hours. Professor George Bliss spoke for the faculty, and each graduate spoke briefly. Acting President Stephen W. Taylor (for whom Taylor Hall is named) made a brief address, and later in the program, gave his farewell remarks. The chairman of the Board of Trustees responded to the remarks of the acting president and installed the Rev. Howard Malcom as the first president. Malcom, in turn, gave his inaugural address. Amid these speeches, James Buchanan presented the seven candidates to Professor Taylor, who, speaking in Latin, awarded each senior the A.B. degree.

When the ceremony ended, the acting president, who was to depart for Hamilton, N.Y., to be president of Madison University (now Colgate), entertained trustees, curators, faculty, graduates and other guests at a dinner in Kline’s Hotel (now the Lewisburg Hotel). This event was to become a part of the Commencement tradition and continued for many years as the ‘‘Corporation Dinner’’ hosted by the president of the University.

From the first academic ceremony came also a pattern of events that was retained for many years. Commencement moved from August to July (1857) and then to June (1870), but as was true in 1851, Commencement Day continued to be the culmination of a week of ceremonies that began on the preceding Sunday. During the week, examinations were held for the promotion of students, the certification of candidates for degrees, and for admission of students to the University. The Board of Trustees convened for its annual meeting at mid-week and, before 1882, so did the Board of Curators. In addition, there were meetings and anniversaries for the alumni — the Alumni Association having been formed in 1851 by the first seven graduates — and by the 1880s, participation by various student organizations, including band concerts and recitals.

From 1855 to 1857, Commencement was held in the Grove in front of the west wing of Old Main (across from the President’s House). In 1858, the site was changed to the third floor of Old Main.

Commencement Hall in Old Main (Roberts Hall) served as the site of the ceremony from 1858 to 1925.

Photograph courtesy of Special Collections/University Archives

Starting in 1886, when Bucknell Hall was completed as the University chapel, the academic processional began at this new site. Underclassmen and guests formed a line along the path to observe graduates and the faculty as they processed up the hill to the site of the ceremony.

A major interruption to this schedule came in the summer of 1863, when all the young men of the University and the academy volunteered for duty to protect Harrisburg from the invasion of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate troops. The University Guards, as the company was known, departed from Lewisburg on June 17 and soon assumed duties guarding the bridge across the Susquehanna at Marysville, Pa. Plans for Commencement from July 26 to 30 remained unchanged; on July 27, all but one member of the senior class (who was confined to a Harrisburg hospital) returned to campus. All were excused from the customary final examinations for degree candidates.

Although women had studied at the Female Institute since the founding of the University, college classes were not opened to them until 1883. At the 1885 Commencement, Chella Scott became the first woman graduate, receiving her A.B. degree with honors.

One year later, on June 22, 1886, during Commencement Week and following the dedication of Bucknell Hall, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the institution from the University at Lewisburg to Bucknell University. In 1889, as William Bucknell slowly ascended the path from Bucknell Hall to Old Main at the last Commencement he would ever attend, the student body, guests and townspeople gave a rousing ovation in tribute to the man who had done so much to preserve the institution named in his honor.

Commencement Hall in Old Main served as the site for the ceremony from 1858 until 1925. In 1926, the ceremony was moved outdoors to the College Quadrangle, with the steps and porch of the Carnegie Building (then the library) serving as the platform. The outdoor site was changed in 1933 to the ‘‘Women’s Campus,’’ with the porch and steps of Hunt Hall serving as the platform. When Davis Gymnasium was completed in 1938, it became the site of Commencement. Outdoor events were planned in 1960 and 1964, but were held in the gym because of rain. The new Academic Quadrangle (now Malesardi Quadrangle) was selected as the site in 1970.

The porch of the Carnegie Building served as the Commencement platform from 1926 through 1932.

Photograph courtesy of Special Collections/University Archives

More than a century ago, in 1887, orange and blue appeared on the platform as the colors of the University, adopted by the trustees at the suggestion of the student body. At the 96th Commencement, held from June 27 to 30, 1946, the University observed its Centennial with elaborate ceremonies, including more than 150 delegates from colleges and universities who helped Bucknell mark this milestone.

Fifty years later, in 1996, Bucknell observed its 150th anniversary on the Academic Quadrangle during a beautiful Saturday morning Commencement ceremony. It was one of many events held during the yearlong Sesquicentennial celebration to recognize the University’s distinguished past and its promising future.

Soon, the University will conduct its 172nd Commencement on Malesardi Quadrangle to award degrees to over 900 undergraduates, who now become part of the history and traditions of an ever-changing institution committed to seeking new ways to meet its founders’ goal ‘‘to be serviceable to the human race.’’

RECESSIONAL*

*Guests are requested to stand and remain at their seats.

The University marshals are members of the faculty appointed by the President to conduct the Commencement proceedings under the direction of the Office of the Registrar. They are followed by the candidates for degrees, the faculty and the trustees. The President and the platform party enter last.

© Jeffrey Mosier

Photo by Emily Paine, Communications

Photo by Emily Paine, Communications

t a meeting of the Board of Trustees on Jan. 19, 1849, three years after the founding of the institution in 1846, the trustees approved a resolution calling for a committee of three members ‘‘to report the form and devise of a seal for the University at Lewisburg.’’ On April 17, 1849, the new seal was approved.

A copy of the University seal forms the centerpiece of the ceremonial chain worn by the presidents of the University. The seal shows the sun, an open book and waves, symbolizing the light of knowledge and education surmounting the storms of life. Eighteen small gold medallions represent the tenure of 17 presidents and one acting president, Stephen W. Taylor, the first educational leader of the institution.

These medallions form a chain that symbolizes the continuity of the traditions of the University for the past 172 years. The medallion of the 17th president, John C. Bravman, is linked to the seal. The years of service for each president and a capsule comment about that individual’s major contribution to the University are indicated on the reverse side of the medallion. The filigree that completes the chain takes the form of ivy that suggests growth and renewal in the succession of institutional leaders.

The ceremonial chain was first presented in 1965 to Charles H. Watts II at his inauguration as the 11th president of Bucknell University.

n May 31, 1997, the Bucknell University Alumni Association formally presented the University Mace to William D. Adams, 14th president of Bucknell University, during Reunion Weekend. Designed and produced by Leonard Urso, a silversmith and sculptor from Rochester, N.Y., the mace is simple yet elegant in design, contrasting the dark, wave-like grain of the 4-foot-long rosewood handle with a pure silver decorative top. Urso hand-carved the University seal and a replica of the Bertrand Library tower, which graces the top of the mace.

Maces originally represented the power of a bishop in battle and served as protection for the clergy, who were forbidden to draw blood. Later they became symbolic of power and authority in civic ceremonies. In the 16th century, Oxford University began using a decorated mace in its ceremonial processions to signify academic independence and excellence. Since that time, the mace has been a sign of educational tradition and distinction.

n August 2018, the Class of 2022 processed through the Christy Mathewson Gates following the Matriculation Ceremony. The ceremony and the procession mark the moment when students begin their journey of self-discovery as members of the Bucknell community. Today, as students prepare to graduate from Bucknell, they will once again process through the Christy Mathewson Gates to signify their transition from students to alumni. The senior class president will lead the procession, carrying the Class Banner that was designed by the class. The banner depicts the class crest with the chosen class colors metallic gold and navy. The class motto is, “Ambitious individuals with curious minds and passionate hearts fostering creative solutions.”

The appearance of a name or the designation of an honor in this program is presumptive evidence of graduation or honor, but it must not be regarded as conclusive. The diploma of the University is the official testimony to attainment of a degree or entitlement to an academic honor.