PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Brown President Christina H. Paxson will preside over the University’s 257th Commencement on Sunday, May 25, on the College Green. The ceremony concludes Brown’s three-day Commencement and Reunion Weekend 2025, which will bring more than 10,000 people to College Hill.

Brown Commencements have been major events for University guests and Providence residents since the 18th century. Many of the weekend’s events are open to the public — a summary follows, and additional details and updates are available on Brown’s Commencement and Reunion websites.

Many of the events — including the Baccalaureate service and Master’s Ceremony on Saturday, the procession on Sunday and the Warren Alpert Medical School, Doctoral, College and University ceremonies on Sunday — will be streamed live on the web.

Graduates and guests can also download the BrownU mobile app to find information on the go during Commencement and Reunion Weekend, including events, campus maps, dining and parking options, locations of water stations and restrooms, and more. Users can log in with a Brown ID or as a guest.

Friday, May 23

Graduating Veterans and ROTC Recognition Ceremony   1:30 p.m. | MacMillan Hall

Convened by the Office of Military-Affiliated Students, the annual ceremony will celebrate the success of graduating student veterans and the commissioning of graduating ROTC students as they begin their careers as U.S. military officers.

Class Reunions, Campus Dance 

Brown schedules class reunions and Commencement on the same weekend, allowing alumni to welcome graduating seniors into the fold while also celebrating their lifelong connection to the University. Scheduled activities include receptions, forums, Bruno’s Block Party for alumni and families, and prominent participation in the Commencement procession down College Hill. And, of course, there’s Campus Dance (tickets required). One of Brown’s best-loved traditions, the event brings more than 10,000 people to dance the night away under a sky lit with paper lanterns. The bash concludes with a festive Senior Sing at midnight on the steps of Sayles Hall.

Saturday, May 24

Forums 

A Commencement and Reunion Weekend tradition for more than four decades, the forums include lectures, discussions and performances by faculty, alumni and guests who are nationally recognized authorities in their fields — with plenty of opportunity for audience questions and comments. This year’s forums address timely issues on topics that range from artificial intelligence, deep learning and brain-computer interfaces to climate policy, threats to American democracy and the “soul” of Brown University. Saturday’s forums begin at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Full details and schedules are available on the Commencement website.

Baccalaureate Service   1 p.m. | Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America

Brown’s Baccalaureate tradition derives from the immense range of religious, ethnic, geographic, linguistic and musical traditions present within the campus community. The multifaith service incorporates many spiritual and cultural traditions, embraces lively expressions of thanksgiving, harmony and rhythm, and includes music, dance, student performances and spiritual readings. Because the Meeting House can accommodate only the graduating class, the service will be simulcast for family and friends, who can watch it from the Front Green or via Brown’s Commencement website. This year’s Baccalaureate address will be delivered by Allyson Felix, a five-time Olympian and the most decorated American track and field athlete in history.

Master’s Ceremony   4 p.m. | College Green

For the second year, the Master’s Ceremony will be held on Saturday afternoon on the College Green. Among other benefits, the change in timing and location implemented in 2024 will enable master’s graduates to participate fully in Sunday morning’s procession, allow students to have degrees conferred in the heart of campus with their names read as they cross the stage, and remove the need to limit the number of guests per graduate.

Sandra Smith, interim dean of the School of Professional Studies, will preside, along with other representatives from the School of Professional Studies, Graduate School and School of Public Health. Brown President Christina H. Paxson will offer opening remarks, and nearly 1,000 students will receive degrees. The student address will be delivered by Dr. Akashleena Mallick, who will receive a master of public health. On Sunday, master’s students will participate in the Commencement procession, proceed to a master’s reception at Woods-Gerry House, and then head to the University Ceremony.

Sunday, May 25 

Commencement Procession   9:45 a.m. | Faunce Arch, Van Wickle Gates

The University’s ceremonial Van Wickle Gates open for only two reasons: when new students enter campus to begin their studies and when new graduates depart for the world beyond Brown. The procession begins at 9:45 a.m. at Faunce Arch. In order to accommodate graduates, families and friends who wish to take photographs, the Van Wickle Gates will remain open until 6 p.m. on Monday.

Warren Alpert Medical School Ceremony   10 a.m. | First Unitarian Church

Dr. Mukesh K. Jain, senior vice president for health affairs and dean of medicine and biological sciences, will preside over the ceremony and will administer the Physician’s Oath, a version of the Hippocratic Oath prepared by the M.D. Class of 1975, the school’s first graduating class. This year’s graduating class of nearly 150 will begin their practices with residency training. Dr. Patricia Poitevien, an associate professor of pediatrics (and Brown University’s incoming vice president for campus life), will deliver the faculty address, titled “Your Calling Is to Care: Medicine as a Practice of Justice and Joy.” Graduate Alisa Pugacheva will present the student address, titled “Love is the Only Way Forward.”

Doctoral Ceremony   10:30 a.m. | Pembroke Field

Thomas A. Lewis, dean of the Graduate School, will preside, and approximately 240 graduates will receive doctoral degrees. Melaine Ferdinand-King, who will earn her Ph.D. in Africana studies, will deliver the student address. Highlights of the ceremony also include presentation of the Horace Mann Medal and the Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Awards.

College Ceremony   12:15 p.m. | First Baptist Church in America

The senior class assembles on the lawn of the First Baptist Church in America for the official conferral of undergraduate degrees. President Christina H. Paxson will greet the class, deliver remarks and confer bachelor degrees. The ceremony will be livestreamed for family and friends to view via screens on the College Green.

University Ceremony   1:15 p.m. | The College Green

Graduating seniors walk back up College Hill to the College Green, where they join family members, friends and guests for the University ceremony, which includes:

Senior Orators

Since its founding in 1764, Brown has selected members of the graduating class to speak during the Commencement ceremony. Two members of the Class of 2025 were chosen by a committee of students, faculty and administrators to deliver orations at Commencement:

• Nkéke Harris, a critical Native American and Indigenous studies concentrator
• Aliza Kopans, a public health concentrator with a certificate in intercultural competency focused on Spanish

Honorary Degrees

Honorary degrees are awarded by the Board of Fellows of the Brown Corporation and conferred by the University president on the College Green. The University will honor seven candidates who have achieved great distinction in their fields:

• Jon Batiste — Award-winning musician
• Allyson Felix — Olympic gold medalist
• Eileen Hayes — Social services leader
• Suleika Jaouad — Author and artist
• William Kentridge — Artist
• Timothy Snyder — Historian
• Kevin Young — Award-winning poet 

Awarding of Diplomas   2:30 p.m. | Various locations

Graduating seniors will be celebrated during more than 50 departmental ceremonies immediately following the University ceremony. Location information is available on Brown’s Commencement website.

News Media Access and Credentials

Brown University-issued media credentials are required for journalists seeking access to Sunday’s procession route, Van Wickle Gates and media platform at the University Ceremony. Media credentials will be reserved exclusively for journalists working on assignment for credentialed professional news organizations. Space is limited and the University may limit the total number of credentials awarded.

Members of the media must request credentials by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21. Please email [email protected] and include the professional news organization’s name along with the journalist’s name, telephone number and email address. For requests that are granted, credentials will be made available for pickup on the Brown campus in advance of the weekend.