Commencement Day Traditions

The Beachem Portico

The portico on the north side of Pennsylvania Hall is properly known as the Beachem Portico, erected with funds given by the Alumni Association and dedicated to the memory of the College’s first alumni secretary, Charles W. Beachem. Gettysburg College’s Alumni Association is among the oldest in the nation and particularly notable for having been formed within three years of the 1832 founding of the College. The Alumni Association of Pennsylvania College (as it was then known) was founded on commencement day, September 16, 1835. There were eleven initial members, the graduates of 1834 and 1835.

President’s Chair

The President’s Chair comes from the estate of Dr. F. William Sunderman Sr., a 1919 graduate of Gettysburg College. In 1983 he created the Sunderman Foundation for Chamber Music, which presents a concert series on campus each year. He was also a trustee emeritus of the College and the founder of its annual Henry M. Scharf Lecture on Current Affairs. Upon Dr. Sunderman’s death in 2003, his legacy provided for the establishment of the College’s F. William Sunderman Sr. Conservatory of Music, which began admitting students in the fall of 2006.

Banners

The procession of the graduating class is graced by colorful banners. Graduating seniors have been chosen for the honor of carrying banners by their respective departments. Field areas are represented by the following colors:

White
Civil War Era Studies, Classical Studies, East Asian Studies/China, East Asian Studies/Japan, English, English with Writing Concentration, French, German Studies, Greek, History, Italian Studies, Judaic Studies, Latin, Middle East and Islamic Studies, Public History, Spanish, Spanish/Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, and Writing

Olive
Organization and Management Studies

Copper
Economics and Mathematical Economics

Light Blue
Education

Brown
Art History, Art Studio, Business, Cinema & Media Studies, and Theater Arts

Pink
Music, Music Education, and Music Performance

Dark Blue
Philosophy

Sage Green
Health Sciences

Golden Yellow
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Neuroscience, and Physics

Cream
Anthropology, Globalization Studies, International Affairs, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology

Scarlet
Religious Studies

Cream, White & Yellow
Environmental Studies

Multicolored
Africana Studies, Individualized Major, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, Peace and Justice Studies

Purple & Gold on White
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Peacock Blue
Public Policy