Graduation & Commencement

Our in-person commencement ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. in the Ruth Gunden Gymnasium in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center, and will include all the graduates, faculty and staff.

• We will be limiting the number of guests to four per graduate for Commencement. Tickets are required. Unfortunately there are no more turned in tickets available for today’s commencement ceremony. If you don’t have tickets, you can line the sidewalk into the Rec-Fitness Center (RFC) by 2:50 p.m. for the processional. You can watch the livestream on campus in College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. And you can celebrate with the grads in person after the ceremony outside the RFC.
• Masks are optional for all events during the weekend.
• The Baccalaureate Celebration and Commencement Ceremony will be live-streamed for those unable to attend at goshen.edu/livestream

Weekend Schedule:

* Events will be live-streamed at goshen.edu/livestream

Saturday, April 30, 2022:

10 a.m., Commencement Rehearsal
Graduates meet in the hallway by the Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall
Opportunity to sign alumni book

10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Senior Art Exhibit
Music Center, Hershberger Art Gallery

1-5 p.m., Academic Department Receptions
Various locations

2 p.m., Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony
Church-Chapel

7:30 p.m., Baccalaureate Celebration*
Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall
Join the Class of 2022 at this celebration of their Goshen College experience
through music, dance, spoken word, pictures, art and more.

8:30 p.m., President’s Reception
Music Center Lobby and Courtyard
President Rebecca Stoltzfus and spouse Kevin Miller will greet graduates,
families and friends at this reception immediately following the Baccalaureate Celebration. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome to attend.

Sunday, May 1, 2022:

12-1 p.m., Commencement Brunch
Westlawn Dining Hall
President Rebecca Stoltzfus and spouse Kevin Miller will host a special brunch
for graduates, families and friends.
Ticket purchase required: Adults $13 | Children (ages 5-12) $8
Children under age 5 free | Student meal plans still in effect
Tickets should be purchased in advance through the Goshen College Box office

2:40 p.m., Graduates line up for Processional
Hallway by Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall

3 p.m, 124th Annual Commencement Ceremony* (Program booklet with all graduate names PDF)
Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center (Tickets required)
Featured speaker: Dr. John D. Roth, Goshen College Professor of History
Spanish translation for Commencement: Headsets and assisted listening devices are available at the Recreation-Fitness Center lobby desk. ASL Interpreting is available with designated seating and is wheelchair accessible. Links are available on goshen.edu/livestream for translation via the livestream.

Helpful Links

For Students

• Graduation Checklist and Deadlines
• Graduation Pledge
• Class Gift Drive
• Preparing for Life After GC
• Career Services
• GC Accounting Office
• Alumni Online Network
• Digital Invitation (PDF)

About this year’s speaker: John D. Roth ’81

Since 1985, John D. Roth has been a professor of history at Goshen College, where he also served as director of the Mennonite Historical Library and editor of The Mennonite Quarterly Review. He is also the founding director of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College and secretary of the Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission.

Roth graduated from Goshen College in 1981 with a degree in history. He earned a master’s degree in 1983 and a doctoral degree in 1989 in history from the University of Chicago.

Roth has published widely on topics related to Anabaptist-Mennonite history and church life. He is the author or co-author of nearly a dozen books, including “Choosing Against War: A Christian View” (Good Books, 2002); “Beliefs: Mennonite Faith and Practice” (Herald Press, 2005); “Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be” (Herald Press, 2006); “Practices: Mennonite Worship and Witness” (Herald Press, 2008); “Teaching That Transforms: Why Anabaptist-Mennonite Education Matters” (Herald Press, 2011); “Where the People Go: Community, Generosity, and the Story of Everence” (Herald Press, 2020); and “A Cloud of Witnesses: Celebrating Indonesian Mennonites” (Herald Press, 2021). He is currently working on a book that examines and frames Goshen College’s history, identity and heritage in light of the present context of diversity and inclusion.

He has edited and translated numerous other books, and his writing has been regularly featured in Anabaptist World (formerly The Mennonite and Mennonite World Review), Mennonite Quarterly Review and Plough Quarterly.

A highly sought-after speaker on Anabaptist topics, Roth has spoken across North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. He has taught May term classes in Paraguay and in Europe, and led three Study-Service Term units in Costa Rica in 1995-96.

Most recently, Roth accepted a position with MennoMedia as project director of their “Anabaptism at 500” initiative. Roth and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of four adult children and four grandchildren and are active members of Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship in Goshen.

Social media: #gcgrad22

Follow the loving and celebration, and join in the fun! See our full campus social media directory for more ways to connect.