Graduation 2025

Warren Wilson College is excited to share details for the Commencement for the Class of 2025.

We look forward to celebrating your graduates with you on May 10th.

Here are the essentials:

  • Plan to arrive on campus by 9:00am on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This will give you time to park, make your way to the event, and find a seat on the Sunderland lawn.
  • The commencement ceremony begins at 10:00am sharp.
  • Our rain site is DeVries Gymnasium on the west side of campus. In the event of inclement weather, please continue to enter campus off Warren Wilson College Rd at the North Entrance, and you will be directed to parking and the ceremony location. We will inform the community the Wednesday before the event if we will be using this location.
  • Invitations/tickets are not required for admission to the ceremony. There is no limit on the number of guests that a graduate may invite.
  • Parking on our small mountain campus is limited, so please carpool and allow adequate time to arrive, park, and find your seat.
  • Please enter campus off Warren Wilson College Rd at the North Entrance—this is the third entrance at the top of the hill if you are coming in from I-40 via U.S. 70. From there you will be directed to available parking.
  •  We will have designated parking for those with a disabled parking tag. If you have other accessibility issues, or are in need of accommodations provided under Americans with Disability Act, please notify the Office of Academic Affairs.
  • We will offer a shuttle service from 8:30am until 1:00pm (except during the ceremony) from the parking lots. Look for marked stops near your parking area.
  • If you are attending a morning event prior to the ceremony (Psychology), please enter from the South Entrance to be directed to parking. You’ll leave your car there and take a short walk or shuttle to the ceremony. 
  • The Honors & Awards ceremony is 4:00pm on Friday, May 9, 2025 in the College Chapel. Parking is available in lots near the Chapel, DeVries Gymnasium, and across the road behind Kittredge Theatre.

We ask that you continue to check the this web page for updates. All arrangements are subject to change and students will be notified via campus email. We appreciate your patience as we work to plan this special celebration.

We welcome your questions. Contact academic@warren-wilson.edu

Invitations & Diploma Frames

Warren Wilson College is proud to partner with Herff Jones on commencement invitations and diploma frames. This service is provided by Herff Jones; all communications may be directed to our campus representative: Michael Green, graduation@4levelup.com

General Information

For any other information about commencement, please contact:

Juliana Caldwell, Executive Assistant to the Provost
(828) 771-2083
jcaldwell@warren-wilson.edu

Tacci Smith, Dean of Students
(828) 771-3768
tsmith@warren-wilson.edu

2025 Commencement Speaker

Dr. Colleen Shogan will deliver this year’s commencement speech on May 10, 2025, celebrating the achievements of the graduating class.

As the head of the National Archives and Records Administration, she oversaw the preservation and accessibility of the nation’s most vital historical records. This role encompassed safeguarding founding documents, overseeing presidential libraries, managing federal records centers, and maintaining digital archives.

A graduate stands smiling with their tree and degree

Commencement Traditions - White Pine Seedling

The tree sapling received with each degree represents a new beginning. Just as each graduate leaves the College to go, lay down roots, and grow, the graduate is encouraged to plant this tree away from campus to represent their mark as a Warren Wilson graduate in the greater world.

Doug Orr at 2006 Commencement

Commencement Traditions - College Tartan

Warren Wilson’s tartan was designed by Sharon Fullerton Grist ’77 to honor the College’s centennial. Blue and gold are the school’s colors. The three bands of maroon represent academics, work, and community engagement; their color signifying the College’s Presbyterian heritage. Gray represents the rock upon which the campus was built and green reflects the landscape. The College’s tartan is registered officially with the Scottish Registry of Tartans.

Provost Jay Roberts leads the recessional.

Commencement Traditions - College Mace

The mace represents the authority of the college President and is carried at the head of academic processions by the Chief Marshall, typically the Provost. The Warren Wilson mace was commissioned in 1978 by college President Reuben Holden and created by Swannanoa artist Dirck Cruser. Carved of walnut, the mace bears the symbols of the College: the mountains, the valley, the river, the owl, and the spade. The distinctive curves and carving also form two W’s for “Warren Wilson.”