2026 SIB Convocation Program

To Our Graduates

Today you are graduates of the University of Illinois.

This is a remarkable achievement, and we are thrilled to celebrate the occasion with you. Commencement is a joyous and deeply symbolic event for all, including the faculty members, staff, family, friends, and others who have supported you on your journey. As members of the Class of 2025, you have overcome many challenges to earn your degree. Congratulations, and we look forward to learning of your future success.

Order of Exercises

Prelude

Graduate Musicians from the University of Illinois

Urbana - Champaign School of Music

Welcome

Dr. Carla Cáceres, Director, School of Integrative Biology and Professor, Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior

Commencement Procession

Faculty and Degree Candidates from the School of Integrative Biology

Land Acknowledgement

Dr. Carla Cáceres

Alumni Convocation Speaker

Dr. Adam Dolezal is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology in the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois.  Originally from Illinois, Adam completed his bachelor’s degree in Integrative biology at the University of Illinois in 2006 – one of the first classes of what was then a brand new major. In addition to coursework, Adam worked in a research lab studying ant biology for over 2 years, where he experienced transformational mentorship and training that completely changed his career trajectory. He went on to complete a PhD at Arizona State University, and then joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 2017. Built on the passion for entomology and animal behavior he developed in Integrative Biology, he developed a research program focusing on how bees and other beneficial insect respond to disease, chemical exposure, and habitat loss. Returning to the University of Illinois as faculty, he now teaches several courses that he took as an undergraduate, such as Physiology and Genes and Behavior.  

Greetings from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Recognition of Candidates Graduating with Honors

Dr. Stephen Downie, Associate Dean for Curricula and Academic Policy, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Professor of Plant Biology

Presentation of Bachelor of Science Candidates

Dr. Marianne Alleyne, Assistant Professor of Entomology

Presentation of Master of Science Candidates

Dr. Marianne Alleyne

Presentation of Doctoral Philosophy Candidates

Dr. Carla Cáceres

Closing Remarks

Dr. Carla Cáceres

Singing of "Hail to the Orange"

Hail to the Orange,

Hail to the Blue,

Hail Alma Mater, Ever so true.

We love no other,

So let our motto be, Victory, Illinois, Varsity!

Recession of Faculty and Graduates

Academic Dress

Academic dress, consisting of cap, gown, and hood, originated about the twelfth century and was worn primarily for warmth. Subsequently, the material of the gown and lining, and the shape of the hood, represented the economic and social, as well as academic status of the wearer.

In the United States, the great majority of the academic costumes now worn are in accordance with the general provisions of the Intercollegiate Code of 1895, which was revised in 1932 and again in 1960. Under this code, the bachelor’s gown has pointed sleeves, the master’s gown has oblong sleeves with an arc at the bottom, and the doctor’s gown has bell-shaped sleeves. All gowns are black, although the adoption of colored gowns by individual institutions in the United States is becoming more prevalent.

The bachelor’s and master’s gowns are untrimmed. The doctor’s gown is faced down the front with velvet and has three bars of velvet across the sleeves. The facing and bars may be black or may be the color of the subject to which the degree pertains. The bachelor’s gown is worn closed; the master’s and doctor’s gowns may be worn open or closed.

Hoods are also black. The bachelor’s hood is 3 feet in length, the master’s is 3 ½ feet, and the doctor’s is 4 feet. Hoods are lined with the official color or colors of the college or university conferring the degree. At the University of Illinois, the lining is orange and blue. The colored velvet border of the hood, which is 2 inches, 3 inches, and 5 inches wide for the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degree respectively, identifies the faculty or field of study to which the degree pertains.

The black mortarboard cap is standard in the United States. Usually, all tassels are black, but where the graduating seniors do not wear hoods, as at the University of Illinois, the color of the cap tassel indicates the department of study. At the University of Illinois, candidates for degrees wear tassels on the right front quadrant of their caps before degrees are conferred, and move them to the left front quadrant after degrees are conferred. Caps are considered a part of the costume and are customarily removed only during an invocation or benediction.

For all academic purposes, including trimmings of doctor’s gowns, edging of hoods, tassels of caps, and linings of banners, there are different colors associated with the different disciplines. The color for Liberal Arts & Sciences is white.

Caps and gowns were worn for the first time at the University of Illinois Commencement ceremony of 1897. In the early 1900s the Commencement procession marched up Burrill Avenue to the old Armory. After diplomas were received, the procession marched back to the lawn south of Green Street. The seniors sang the State song and “Auld Lang Syne” before they said good-bye to each other and the campus.

Degree Information

This program links to an unofficial list of degree candidates for May 2026, as well as a list of graduates who received degrees in August and December 2025. Names of some degree recipients may not appear while names of some degree candidates who have not yet completed degree requirements may be included.

The University’s official registry for conferral of degrees is the Office of the Registrar, 901 W. Illinois St., Urbana, IL 61801.

Thank You

A special thank you to all who helped organize this convocation. Thank you to the family and friends who have supported the graduates throughout their time at the University of Illinois.