Commencement - Warren Wilson College

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.

Our Commencement ceremony begins at 10 am and we suggest all families and guests arrive on campus by 9 am in order to park and get a seat on Sunderland Lawn. The ceremony generally lasts about 2 hours.

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.

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

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.

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.”