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Commencement 2018 — Events and Details

April 19, 2018

Roanoke College mace at commencement

Commencement exercises for the Roanoke College class of 2018 will be held on Saturday, May 5, and will include approximately 450 graduates. However, commencement at Roanoke is more than just one day — senior-week celebrations kick off on Wednesday, with multiple events on the schedule in the days leading up to Saturday's ceremony.

The commencement speaker will be Dr. Kenneth P. Ruscio, president of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, a consortium of 15 traditional independent liberal arts colleges in Virginia. He is the former president of Washington & Lee University. He has also served as national president of Omicron Delta Kappa and served on the boards of both the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges. Ruscio is the author of numerous articles, book reviews, essays and the book "The Leadership Dilemma in Modern Democracy."

At commencement, two honorary degrees will be awarded, one to Ruscio and the other to Ms. Brenda Hale, president of the Roanoke chapter of the NAACP. A nurse by profession, Hale also sits on the boards of Local Colors and the Jefferson College of Health Sciences, and she has served as secretary for Total Action Against Poverty in the Roanoke Valley. Below are highlights of the major commencement week events.

On Friday, May 4:

  • The baccalaureate service will be held at 4:30 in the Cregger Center Arena, with Rev. Christopher Bowen as featured speaker. Bowen is the Timothy Pickle Dean of the Chapel at Roanoke College. The Roanoke College Choir and a local professional ensemble, Brass 5, will provide the music. No tickets are required.
  • From 12:00-2:00 p.m., Olin Hall Galleries will host the closing reception for the annual Studio Art exhibition by the college's graduating art majors and minors. This exhibition represents a wide variety of media, styles and ideas.
  • Most academic departments will hold receptions for graduates and their families in the afternoon and early evening. 
  • At 8:00 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church (103 North Broad Street, Salem), the Roanoke College Choir presents its Farewell Concert. Hear the choir in its final performance of the season in a farewell tribute to the choir's graduating seniors.

On Saturday, May 5:

  • Commencement exercises begin at 10:00 a.m. on the John R. Turbyfill Quadrangle, located off High Street on the front lawn of the campus. In the event of severe weather, commencement will be moved to the Salem Civic Center (1001 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem). No tickets are needed for commencement, whether outside or indoors.

For complete details on these and other events, please visit roanoke.edu/commencement.