Location Change for Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Due to the chance of thunderstorms and the probability of rain in Friday’s weather forecast, for the safety of our graduates and their families, the ceremony will be indoors in the Kuch Alumni Gymnasium. We know you may have questions about the changes. Below is a list of things you might be wondering.
FAQs
Where will the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony be held?
Kuch Alumni Gymnasium.
What time will the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony begin?
Friday’s ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Guests must be in their seats by 9:50 a.m. After that time, if there is room in the gym, we will bring guests in from viewing areas.
Do I need a ticket to attend the ceremony?
Graduates do not need tickets. However, all guests must have a ticket either printed out or pulled up on their mobile device. Each graduate gets three tickets for guests. Instructions for how graduates can access tickets and send them to their guests can be found above. Tickets can only be scanned once; duplicated or copied tickets will not gain entrance to the event. At this time, we cannot issue any additional tickets.
What do I do if I want to attend the ceremony but don’t have a ticket?
There will be viewing areas in the Commons for overflow guests: Stein Fireplace Lounge for Commuter Students; the Chat; and on the second floor of the Commons. Ten minutes before the ceremony begins, if there is room in the gym, we will bring guests in from viewing areas.
Why can’t we start the ceremony outside and move inside if it starts to rain or storm, or try to wait out any storm?
The safety of our graduates and their families is our priority. In the event of severe weather, everyone would need to seek shelter. There is no single space on campus that could accommodate all of the graduates and guests that would be on campus for an outdoor ceremony, and bringing everyone back to resume would create logistical challenges. Furthermore, certain electrical components and audio visual equipment could malfunction in rain, wind, or lightning. If we were to begin the ceremony outdoors and weather necessitated a stoppage, that would be the end of the ceremony. We won’t risk some or all graduates not getting to have their moment to cross the stage.
Traffic delays are expected on Commencement Days!
Aqua Pennsylvania, our water utility company, has just informed us of upcoming construction work that will impact your travels to our Commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 15, and Friday, May 16. Crews will be doing work on Church Road from West Waverly Road to Panther Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays beginning May 15. They will also be doing work on Randall Road from Church Road to the dead end on Randall Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As a result, we expect increased traffic near Arcadia University.
Please allow plenty of extra time to get to campus, and enter campus from Easton Road near Grey Towers Castle.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Graduate Ceremony: 5 p.m.
Ceremony will be indoors in Kuch Alumni Gymnasium.
Honorary degree recipient/speaker: Marissa Boyers Bluestine
Marissa Boyers Bluestine
Learn more about Marissa Boyers Bluestine
Marissa Boyers Bluestine is the Assistant Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Bluestine joined the Quattrone Center after a decade leading the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit dedicated to exonerating individuals wrongfully convicted of crimes. As Legal Director and later Executive Director, she transformed the organization into a statewide leader in criminal justice reform, overseeing efforts that led to 17 wrongful conviction reversals. Under her leadership, the organization also collaborated with law enforcement across Pennsylvania to implement evidence-based practices aimed at preventing wrongful convictions.
Before her work with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, Bluestine served at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, including in the major trials and appellate units. There, she spearheaded the office’s successful challenge to Pennsylvania’s 40-year-old ban on expert testimony in eyewitness cases, resulting in the landmark Commonwealth v. Walker decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She also focused on forensic science, false confessions, digital evidence, and scientific testimony, developing office-wide training and policies to strengthen courtroom advocacy on these issues.
At the Quattrone Center, Bluestine leads its project as a national Technical Training and Assistance provider for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), working with prosecutor offices nationwide to enhance conviction review unit efficiency and foster collaboration with innocence organizations. She helps these offices adopt best prosecutorial practices and establish robust policies and procedures. Bluestine also teaches as an adjunct professor at both the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Bluestine’s groundbreaking work has earned her numerous honors, including the Andrew Hamilton Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Philadelphia Legal Intelligencer’s Woman of Distinction Award, the Maureen Rowley Award from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, and the Liberty Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Friday, May 16, 2025
Baccalaureate Ceremony: 10 a.m.
Ceremony will be indoors in Kuch Alumni Gymnasium.
Honorary degree recipient/speaker: Michele Pistone
Michele Pistone
Learn more about Michele Pistone
Since 1999, Michele Pistone has served as a Professor of Law at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and the Founding Faculty Director for Villanova University’s Strategic Initiative for Migrants + Refugees. Pistone speaks and publishes regularly on migration and asylum law, access to justice, technology, and on topics related to legal education, including online and hybrid teaching, student-centered course design, formative assessment, as well as Catholic Social Thought on immigration. She is presently an expert advisor to the Holy See Mission to the United Nations on human rights and migration, a Fellow at the Center for Migration Studies in New York, and a Fellow at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Pistone was also a Fulbright scholar at the University of Malta, where she helped to launch Malta’s first clinical education program in the law faculty. Pistone founded the Charles Widger School of Law’s first in-house Clinical Program and founded and directed the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES) for close to 20 years.
In 2019, Pistone was awarded the J.M.K. Innovation Prize to launch the first-ever online university-based certificate program to train non-lawyers to become immigrant advocates and Accredited Representatives authorized to provide legal representation to immigrants in immigration courts and before US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Her award-winning program, Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates (VIISTA), is offered through the College of Professional Studies. Pistone is also partnering on the Colibrí Fellowship with The Resurrection Project in Chicago, Illinois, and Innovation Law Lab in Portland, Oregon. She was a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Resident in March 2024. During her residency, Pistone wrote a whitepaper, Expanding Immigrant Justice Through A Movement for New Legal Careers, setting out a 5-year strategic plan for fostering an enabling environment to support growth of the field of immigration justice professionals and Accredited Representatives.
Leading up to Commencement!
Your Diploma
Diplomas are available to each graduate after the Commencement ceremonies for all colleges and schools. Official Arcadia frames can be found in the Campus Store. For questions or concerns regarding diplomas, contact the Office of the Registrar.
Your Cap Design
Each year, graduates are encouraged to let their creative selves shine—be it silly, sweet, or sentimental. Submit a photo of your cap by May 23, using this Google Form. Prizes include a $100 gift card for 1st place and $50 each for 2nd and 3rd place. Winners will be announced on May 30.
Your Paver
The paver program offers the opportunity for seniors and alumni to have a brick on the Alumni Walk of Pride engraved with their name and graduation year. Seniors who make their own gift as a part of the paver program will be counted as having made a Senior Class Gift. You can learn and participate in the program here. Any questions, contact Margo Maas, Associate Director of Young Alumni & Student Engagement at maasm@arcadia.edu
Order your regalia here by March 25, 2025. All orders will be shipped to school unless “ship to home” is chosen (additional fee for home shipments will apply.) If you traveled abroad and plan on wearing an international sash, please complete this form by March 14, 2025.
Faculty, Staff, and Alumni
Your time, talent, and energy is greatly appreciated as we offer our graduates a memorable and celebratory Commencement—alongside those who have meant so much to them. Faculty recognitions—including the Lloyd M. Abernethy Outstanding Service and Professor of the Year awards—are also announced at Commencement.
Contact commencement@arcadia.edu if you are interested in attending a ceremony or:
Need Regalia
Faculty and staff should plan to wear their regalia if they want to participate in the procession. Plan to arrive 15 minutes before each ceremony. There will be clear signs to gather in front of the Commons. Dress comfortably if you plan to remain for the ceremony.
Want to Volunteer
Volunteers are integral to a successful Commencement experience. You’ll receive your role and arrival time by email.
Have Honor Guard Questions
After each ceremony, graduates will recess from the ceremony and walk through the honor guard. The honor guard is a time-honored tradition where supporters join to cheer on the graduates.
