News & Events

Commencement

Commencement is the official ceremony celebrating our graduate students and their work. We are pleased to announce that our 2024 Commencement ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 8, starting at 4:30 PM. Our ceremony will be held at the Roone Arledge Auditorium in Alfred Lerner Hall at Columbia University (2920 Broadway between 114th and 115th Streets, NYC). Follow along on commencement day by viewing our posts and story highlights on our Instagram account @bankstreetgse. #BSCgrad24

2023 | Event Recording

2023 | Commencement Program

Eligibility to Participate

Students who anticipate completing degree requirements in their entirety and who have submitted a graduation application are invited to participate in the annual spring commencement ceremony. Degree requirements include all course and fieldwork credits, the integrative master’s requirement (if applicable), and any prerequisites and/or workshops as defined in the catalog published the year of the student’s first term of enrollment and the individual letter of admission. All degree requirements must be completed or be in progress with expected completion by the end of the spring semester. Students who complete requirements after the spring term are invited to attend the following year’s ceremony. Students must be currently enrolled in the semester of their degree conferral.

Commencement 2024

Students who completed degree requirements in their entirety by the end of the Summer 1 2023, Summer 2 2023, Summer-Long 2023, Fall 2023, or Spring 2024 term and who submit a graduation application are invited to participate in the annual spring commencement ceremony taking place on May 8, 2024. Eligible graduates will have received an invitation to commencement and are asked to RSVP by April 11, 2024. Only the names of the graduates who have RSVP’d for commencement will be called at the ceremony. 

  • Tickets

    2024 Graduates: You will receive all commencement-related news via your Bank Street email. We will also publish information in the biweekly SSA Newsletter. This includes information on how to order your cap & gown, how to order tickets, etc. 

    Please Note: 

    • Our ticketing policy is meant to ensure that the Bank Street community can come together as one for commencement.
    • Each graduate can request up to three tickets (not including themselves). Children ages two (2) and under do not require tickets.
    • Multiple ticket requests and RSVPs will not be honored.
    • We will livestream the event for those who are unable to attend.
    • Masks are optional at the venue and we encourage everyone to take an antigen test ahead of arriving. If your antigen test is positive for COVID-19, we ask that you stay home.
  • Robes and Academic Regalia

    2024 Graduates: In March, you received an email to your Bank Street email address for the link to order your academic dress from our vendor, Oak Hall, with the ordering deadline date (Sunday, April 14). Your email lists your degree type, which you’ll need to complete your order. 

    Please Note:

    • Caps and gowns are optional forms of dress for the ceremony, although the majority of students opt to wear them. The company providing us with this service will provide black caps and gowns, with Bank Street’s school colors (royal blue and gold) in the hood.
    • Oak Hall will provide the academic dress you need to purchase: a black cap, and a black light-weight gown—with Bank Street’s school colors, royal blue and gold—in the master’s degree hood. The link to Oak Hall will be in your email.
    • A Bank Street sash will be provided free of charge to all graduates who wish to wear one.
    • Please note, caps and gowns will NOT be available on the day of the ceremony.
  • Venue Information

    Our ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 starting at 4:30 PM at the Roone Arledge Auditorium in Alfred Lerner Hall at Columbia University (2920 Broadway between 114th and 115th Streets, NYC).

    Graduates will need to arrive starting at 3:00 PM and no later than 3:30 PM.

  • Diploma

    2024 Graduates, please note:

    • Diplomas are not distributed at commencement and will be mailed to students approximately two months from the date of graduation.
    • Diplomas are mailed to the address you indicated when you filled out your electronic Graduation Application.  
    • If you need to change the address where your diploma will be sent, please email studentservices@bankstreet.edu.
    • Diplomas will not be sent to students with holds. All financial obligations must be settled with the Business Office and books borrowed from the Library must be returned.
    • Questions regarding diplomas should be sent to studentservices@bankstreet.edu.
  • Past Ceremonies

Scenes from Commencement 2023

2023 Honorary Doctorate Recipients

Ursula Davis and Guadalupe Valdés
Ursula Davis, GSE ’74, is a dedicated and renowned early childhood specialist, an effective community organizer, and a tireless advocate for equity, justice, and anti-bias education that starts with high-quality early childhood programs.

Guadalupe Valdés is one of the preeminent experts on Spanish-English bilingualism in the United States, has devoted her professional career to improving the lives and experiences of Latinx and Black students by advocating for inclusive classrooms where the language and cultural practices of all students are considered.

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