Celebrating the 2025-26 graduates
Mathematics undergraduates and graduate students earning their degrees in December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026, are invited to celebrate with family and friends at the Math Department Commencement Ceremony. We will soon be sending an invitation to graduating students, and we ask that you reply with the number of family members and guests who will be accompanying you on this very special day.
Tickets are not required for the Math Department Commencement Ceremony; however, please refer the Office of Commencement Events website for detailed information on commencement weekend. For the University Commencement Ceremony on Saturday at Schoellkopf field, tickets are required.
Key Details for the Reception and Ceremony
Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Commencement Reception:
9:00 a.m. Bailey Hall Plaza, continental-style breakfast until 9:45 a.m.
Commencement Ceremony:
The Commencement Ceremony will be held in Kennedy Hall/Call Auditorium (KND116). At 9:45 graduates and guests will make their way to Kennedy Hall, which is directly across the street from Bailey Plaza. No food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium.
The ceremony starts at 10:00 and will end at 11:30. The five rows of seats closest to the stage are reserved for graduates. The ceremony will conclude with an all-graduate group photo on the steps outside Kennedy Hall immediately after the ceremony. We expect to be finished by 11:45 or shortly after.
Attire: Graduates wear their regalia (cap and gown), ordered through the Office of University Commencement Events.
For faculty regalia information go to https://commencement.cornell.edu/may/faculty/. The deadline for faculty to order is April 15, 2026.
Inclement Weather: In the event that the plaza is closed due to inclement weather, the reception will be moved indoors to 532 Malott Hall, which is directly across from Bailey Hall Plaza and is where the Math Department resides. Due to room capacity and to avoid overcrowding, different areas of the building will be utilized, and department staff will be present to welcome and direct guests. We will monitor the weather, and if inclement weather is forecast and we decide to move the event indoors, a notification will be sent to graduates on our RSVP list. We will also include a notification on this site.
Recognition Ceremony Agenda
At 10:00 a.m., we will assemble in Call Auditorium and the Department Chair, Tara Holm, will say a few words. The Director of Graduate Studies, Marcelo Aguiar, will take the podium and announce the Ph.D. recipients. Each graduate will individually be called to the stage and will have an opportunity to speak. The Director of the Math Major, Justin Moore, will then take the podium and announce our bachelor degree recipients.
Undergraduates: When your name is called, you will come up to the stage. Professor Moore will make a few remarks about you and your future plans. As the department chair shakes your hand, please pause to have your picture taken. At this point, you will be handed a microphone and given the opportunity to say a few words of thanks to friends, family, and sources of inspiration or support before returning to your seat. Please speak directly into the microphone in order to be heard.
At the end of the ceremony (and weather permitting), we will ask all graduates to assemble for a group photograph at the steps of Kennedy Hall located at the outside entrance adjacent and to the right as you exit Call Auditorium.
To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances.
Ceremony Recording
The ceremony will be recorded. A code will be provided to embed the video on the website, and video will be delivered through Video On Demand. Information on the recording will be sent to graduates and updated on this website once it becomes available.
General Information
Accessibility: Cornell strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to fully engage in events. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Heather Peterson. Graduating students will be asked to include this in their registration information that will be sent to them soon, but having this information well in advance is very helpful in planning.
For general information on accessibility, go to the Office of Commencement website, Accessibility Planning.
Parking and Directions: On Friday all lots are free to use and roads on campus are open. Families who have passengers with limited mobility may let them out near Bailey Plaza and Kennedy Hall on Garden Avenue. If parking in a handicap space, a state issued handicap tag must be displayed.
As you near campus, follow signs directing traffic to campus parking lots and garages — Forest Home Drive Parking Garage and Hoy Road Parking Garage are the two main parking garages on campus. Forest Home Drive is the closest to Bailey Plaza and Kennedy Hall. Go to Visitor Parking Information.
Refer to this site map (Cornell Maps Google link) which shows Bailey Plaza, Kennedy Hall, and Malott Hall. All math commencement locations are conveniently in close proximity to each other. Also refer to Cornell Maps.
For more guidance on transportation and parking refer to Commencement Parking & Directions.
Photography:
A professional photographer will be present at both the reception and during the ceremony. We will send a link to the photos when they become available.
Diplomas will be mailed in mid to late June to the home address on file with the university.
Please continue to refer to the Cornell Commencement website for general information and updates.
Congratulations Graduates!