Commencement: Three Ceremonies. One Bluff. Once and For All.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Let’s start with the rumor—or maybe the question—I keep hearing:

“Is LMU going to move commencement off campus again?”

Short answer: No.
Longer answer: Also no.

For the foreseeable future, LMU’s Commencement Weekend will be hosted right here on our Westchester campus—on the bluff—where this milestone belongs.

And I’m also pleased to share something many of you asked for directly: with President Poon’s blessing—and in partnership with Provost Kat Weaver and Dean Brie Clark—we’re restoring LMU’s three-ceremony commencement tradition. (Last year, we combined three commencements into two ceremonies.) For the first time, all three ceremonies will take place on the same weekend rather than across two weekends.

The formula is simple: maximum celebration, streamlined programs that still honor the distinct traditions of each ceremony, and efficiencies that save time, cost, and energy—for graduates, families, and the university alike.

LMU Commencements (left: circa 1930; right: 2011); from the Centennial e-Yearbook

A quick thank you (and a little context)

If commencement planning were a course at LMU, the last few years would qualify as an advanced seminar.

Together, we’ve navigated pandemic-era pivots (including the 2021 SoFi “Megamencement” honoring the Classes of 2020 and 2021), evolving public safety requirements, and the very real constraints of capacity, traffic, parking, and security that come with hosting an event of this scale.

In February 2024, LMU announced plans to move Commencement off campus in response to logistical and safety concerns raised by public officials. In early 2025, the university reengaged city partners, worked through those concerns, and identified a way to bring commencement back to campus—with thoughtful adjustments related to event size, safety, and traffic.

On campus. Then off campus. Then back on campus.
Confused yet? You weren’t alone.

Through all of it, this community has been patient and resilient. Thank you. That’s why it felt important to provide longer-term guidance—so we’re no longer wondering year to year where commencement will land. Our graduates have enough on their minds as they approach this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

One last thing: we’re always improving

Jokes aside, we’re always looking for ways to make Commencement better—and we genuinely welcome ideas.

When I graduated from LMU in the 1990s, commencement followed a tradition that had been in place for decades. (And no, I’m not referring to the “refreshment” beverages occasionally tucked under graduation gowns.) The stage was set on Regents Terrace, with graduates facing Alumni Mall—backs turned to the chapel. Years later, someone had the very good idea to flip the orientation so we could all enjoy the backdrop of our iconic Sacred Heart Chapel. I’m not sure how that was missed before, but I’m very glad it wasn’t missed forever.

That’s the spirit we carry forward. We’ll keep refining pacing, reducing wait times, and improving flow. From time to time, we may adjust logistics to address capacity, traffic, safety, and security. That’s not changing the tradition—it’s protecting it.

And if you’re wondering who the next commencement speakers will be, you’ll have to wait until May like the rest of us. Until then, get all of your Commencement updates here.

—John