Commencement Videos   Commencement Speakers   Schedule of Events   Frequently Asked Questions


Commencement Video Recap

Commencement Photo Gallery

Commencement 2024


Forever A Scot Commencement Video

Full Commencement Ceremony

Commencement Ceremony Program (pdf)

Interfaith Baccalaureate Service

Interfaith Baccalaureate Service Program (pdf)

Multicultural Stoling Ceremony

Multicultural Stoling Ceremony Program (pdf)

Commencement Keynote Speaker

Lamont Paris ’96

Photo courtesy University of South Carolina Athletics

Lamont Paris ’96, head men’s basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, will deliver the keynote address at The College of Wooster Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2024.

Paris, a finalist for the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award, was named 2024 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year. The recognition is fitting: Paris led his South Carolina team to a second-place SEC finish and a 13-5 conference record after seeing the team picked to finish last in the league in the preseason.

Inspired by his Wooster roots on the court, in the classroom, and within the campus community, Paris has coached at the collegiate level since 1997. His coaching career started at Wooster, with stops at DePauw University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania before securing his first NCAA Div. I assistant job at the University of Akron. Paris was on staff with the Zips for the program’s 2009 Mid-American Conference title.

After building up a reputation as a recruiter and developer of talent, Paris was hired as the lead assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Badgers averaged 27 wins per year during his seven-year tenure, headlined by playing in the 2015 national championship game, reaching the Final Four in 2014, and playing in four NCAA Sweet 16s.

In 2017, Paris earned his first head coaching job at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He went 87-72 in five seasons, including 65-29 over his final three. In his final season with the Mocs, Paris’ team went 27-8, won the Southern Conference (SoCon) regular-season title, and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament on a deep buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime of the SoCon Tournament championship. Paris has served as USC’s head coach since March 2022.

The Fighting Scots 1996 business economics alumnus, whose Independent Study was titled, “Taxation of Sin: The Effects of Excise Taxes on the Demand Function of Cigarettes,” played on Wooster teams that went 84-25, advanced to three NCAA Div. III Championships, and won two North Coast Athletic Conference titles.


Senior Class Speakers

Sukriti Chiripal head shot
Tyler Hilbert ’24

Class of 2024 Commencement Schedule of Events


Date/Time
Location
Information
April 28: 12pm - 2pm
Freedlander Theatre

Lavender Graduation & Reception

May 9: 11am - 11:30am
Oak Grove

Tree Planting Ceremony

May 9: 4pm - 5:30pm
Scot Center

Commencement Rehearsal and Class of 2024 Gathering

May 10: 11am - 12:30pm
McGaw Chapel
May 10: 2pm - 3pm
Gault Recital Hall, Scheide Music Center

Senior Music Hour

May 10: 4pm - 5pm
McGaw Chapel

Interfaith Baccalaureate Service

May 10: 6pm - 8pm
Kittredge Dining Hall

Posse Graduation Celebration

This event is for Posse students and their guests.

May 10: 7:30pm - 9pm
McGaw Chapel

Wooster Symphony Orchestra Commencement Concert

Concert Program (pdf)
May 10: 9pm - 11pm
Burden Family Patio, Lowry Center

Commencement Celebration for Seniors and Families

May 11: 9am - 9:30am
Gault Recital Hall, Scheide Music Center

Phi Beta Kappa Initiation

Phi Beta Kappa Initiation Program (pdf)
May 11: 10am - 11:30am
McGaw Chapel

Multicultural Stoling Ceremony

May 11: 10:30am - 1pm
Lowry Center

All Campus Lunch

May 11: 1pm - 4:30pm
Scot Center

Commencement Ceremony

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Pipe Band and graduate procession to begin at 12:45 p.m.

Note: A line may form at the entrance to the Scot Center. We recommend planning for a little extra time to enter and find your seat before the ceremony. The College will be checking bags upon entry. We ask that all attendees refrain from bringing items that may cause disruption and/or obstruct the view of family and friends watching the ceremony, such as signs or posters.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have further questions about Commencement Weekend 2024, please send your question(s) to: commencement@wooster.edu.

Commencement

Class of 2024 graduating seniors may invite as many guests as they wish because tickets are NOT required for any event during Commencement Weekend, including Baccalaureate, Commencement, and the All Campus Lunch.

Commencement for a full graduating class typically lasts approximately 2.5-3 hours; therefore, the Class of 2024 ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. and should conclude at approximately 3:30-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 11.

Gowns were distributed at the beginning of the academic year to members of the Class of 2024 and were worn by seniors at Convocation in August; these same gowns are to be worn by graduating seniors at Commencement. If the original gown has been lost or destroyed, seniors will be required to purchase a replacement gown by contacting Lesia Lorenzetti in the College Bookstore (llorenzetti@wooster.edu); the cost for a replacement gown is $20.

The College will provide caps and tassels to all graduating seniors at no charge, and these will be distributed in early May.

Class of 2024 t-shirts with the names of seniors on the back will be available for sale, along with flowers and teddy bears, just outside the entrance of the Scot Center on Commencement day. Items are also available for pre-order through the Wooster Bookstore website.

The College will be providing shuttle vans to and from Scot Center on Saturday, May 11. These shuttle vans will be available to and from the following area hotels and First Presbyterian Church:

  • Best Western (243 E. Liberty)
  • Comfort Suites (965 Dover Road)
  • Days Inn (789 E. Milltown Road)
  • EconoLodge (2137 Lincoln Way East)
  • Hampton Inn (4253 Burbank Road)
  • Hilton Garden Inn (959 Dover Road)
  • Market Street Inn (356 N. Market Street)
  • Rodeway Inn (2055 Lincoln Way East)
  • St. Paul Hotel (203 South Market Street)
  • First Presbyterian Church (621 College Ave.)

Shuttles will run every half hour, beginning at 10:00 a.m., with a final run to campus at 12:30 p.m. Return shuttle vans to each designated location will depart from Scot Center at half-hour intervals from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Guests will be dropped off and/or picked up at Scot Center. (Please note: the shuttle vans are not available on Friday, May 10 or Sunday, May 12.)

All on-campus parking lots will be open for guests on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Handicap parking is available in the Lowry Center staff lot (Lot 29) behind Brush Hall.

Campus Parking Map

On Saturday, May 11, courtesy golf carts and drivers will be available beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Ebert Art Center, Holden Hall, Galpin-Taylor, and Wagner Hall parking lots as well as Babcock Hall to transport guests to Scot Center.

Courtesy golf carts and drivers will also be available following Commencement until 5:30 p.m.

During Baccalaureate and the Commencement Concert, reserved seating will be available for guests using wheelchairs on the main floor of McGaw Chapel, and ushers will be available to direct families to the appropriate section.

On Saturday, May 11, individuals using wheelchairs can find seating in the front row or on the ends of the aisles in Gault Recreation Center inside Scot Center. Ushers will be available to assist. Elevators are available in the building.

The deadline for seniors to move out of their campus housing is 10:00 am on Sunday, May 12.