University Archives

The University of Nebraska held its first commencement ceremony on Wednesday, June 26, 1872, at University Hall. Although there were no graduates to participate in the exercises, an honorary Doctorate of Laws was presented to the Right Reverend Bishop Clarkson of Omaha. In 1873, the first students, William H. Shell and James Stuart Dales, graduated from the University. This commencement is considered the first official one for the tabulation of annual ceremonies. The 1876 commencement included Alice M. Frost, the first female student to graduate from the University.

Although graduating classes were small during the University's early years, commencement soon became a highly anticipated social event for the citizens of the state. By the end of the 1870s, commencement had grown from a one-day event into a week of social activities closely followed by local newspapers and widely attended by the public. Commencement week traditionally began with a Sunday baccalaureate ceremony followed by musical programs, theatrical productions, alumni activities, review of military candidates, and numerous receptions and balls. The week culminated with the commencement ceremony itself, which included a formal procession of faculty, students and dignitaries; a commencement oration, military commissioning of officer candidates; the conferral of degrees; and the presentation of awards and honors.

Over the years, commencement exercises have been held at various locations throughout the campus and city including the Opera House at 12th & "O" (1877-1892), Lansing Theater (1893-1898), Lincoln Auditorium (1900-1911), St. Paul's Methodist Church (1912-1926), University Coliseum (1926-1963), Pershing Auditorium (1964-1975) and the Devaney Center (1976 to present).

Notable commencement speakers in the University's history include Booker T. Washington (1902), William Jennings Bryan (1905), Roscoe Pound (1917), John J. Pershing (1921), Phyllis Bentley (1934), Norman Cousins (1950), Trygve Halvdan (1952), Gerald Ford (1976), Harry A. Blackmun (1983), and Barbara Jordan (1995).

One of the University's most memorable commencements was in held in June of 1917 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Nebraska statehood. Among the legendary figures who received honorary degrees were Theodore Roosevelt, Willa Cather, Roscoe Pound, John Neihardt, Edith Abbott, and John J. Pershing (in absentia). Pershing had been scheduled to give the commencement speech. With the United States entry into World War I two months earlier, the general was called upon to serve as Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. The annual address was given instead by Roscoe Pound and following the ceremony, university officials traveled by train to Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they conducted a special war commencement, awarding 33 degrees to students enrolled in the Reserve Officer's Corps who were already leading the war effort.

From the guide to the Commencement Programs and Records, 1873-2004