Lindsay France/University Photography

Ha Rim Kwak '08 checks her mortarboard in the mirror in Teagle Hall's multipurpose room May 21 during regalia pickup for commencement.

Cornell will celebrate its 140th Commencement Weekend, May 23-25, with about 6,000 graduates receiving their degrees. Poet Maya Angelou will be the Convocation speaker, Saturday, May 24, at noon, and Cornell President David Skorton will give the Commencement address, Sunday, May 25, at 11 a.m. Both events will be at Schoellkopf Stadium.

Angelou, a poet, educator, best-selling author and civil-rights activist, continues to travel the world as one of the great voices of contemporary literature. The ceremony also will feature an address by Cornell Senior Class President Vincent Hartman and the presentation of a gift to the university from the senior class.

Other Commencement Weekend events include:

May 23:

• Cornell Night: a showcase for the theatrical, musical, dance and comedic talent of Cornell students. The event is free and open, in Barton Hall, 8-10 p.m.

May 24:

• ROTC Commissioning: Air Force commissioning will be at 8 a.m. in the Beck Center Auditorium in Statler Hall; Army commissioning at 9 a.m. in the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room; and Navy commissioning at 10 a.m. in the Beck Center Auditorium.
• Phi Beta Kappa Induction: New members of the Cornell chapter will be inducted at 10 a.m. in G-1 Uris Hall.
• Senior Convocation: In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved into Barton Hall and tickets will be required for entry.
• President's Family Reception: Skorton and the Cornell Board of Trustees will host a reception for students, their families and guests from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on the Arts Quad.
• DVM Hooding Ceremony: New doctors of veterinary medicine will take the Veterinarian's Oath and receive their hoods at 2 p.m. in Bailey Hall.
• Johnson School Recognition Ceremony: The new graduates will be honored at Newman Arena in Bartels Hall from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
• Cornell Wind Ensemble Concert: Cornell's premier instrumental student ensemble performs international and American music, as well as Cornell songs, on the Arts Quad from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.
• Ph.D. Recognition Ceremony: This event for Ph.D. and D.M.A. candidates will be held at 5 p.m. in Barton Hall. A reception will follow. Families, friends and faculty members are invited to attend.
• Senior Week Concert: The Cornell Glee Club and the Cornell Chorus will present their annual concert at 8 p.m. in Bailey Hall. Tickets will be sold at 101 Lincoln Hall or by e-mail at concerts@gleeclub.cornell.edu until May 23.

Sunday, May 25:

• Academic procession: The procession assembles on the Arts Quad at 9 a.m. and will arrive at Schoellkopf Stadium at 10 a.m.
• Commencement ceremony: The ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to noon.
• College and school ceremonies: The ceremonies and receptions for individual Cornell colleges and schools will be held at various locations from 12:30 to 3 p.m. A listing will be available in the Commencement program or at http://www.commencement.cornell.edu/May/colrecep.html.

How to see and hear the ceremonies:

Both Saturday's Convocation and Sunday's Commencement will be broadcast live on Ithaca's Time Warner Cable Channel 16 and streamed live on the Cornell Web site at http://www.cornell.edu/.

Commencement also will be broadcast on Cornell television Channel 100 and its ceremony heard on WHCU radio (870 AM) starting at 11 a.m.

The Commencement procession and ceremony can be accessed afterward on CornellCast at http://www.cornell.edu/video.

For general information about the Cornell Commencement:

See http://www.commencement.cornell.edu/.