The Celebrations Commence: The History of IWU’s First Graduates and Commencement Ceremonies
Major
History
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Area of Study or Work
History
Expected Graduation Date
2024
Location
CNS E104 1.1 Alumni: Past and Present
Start Date
4-15-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
4-15-2023 10:00 AM
Abstract
It is common knowledge that Illinois Wesleyan University was founded in 1850. However, not everything that universities do can start in the first year. Commencement ceremonies—one of the integral parts of a university’s operation and culture—cannot happen until there are students to graduate and funds to do so. As such, it was far less clear when IWU’s first commencement ceremony was held. The earliest commencement programs stored in the archives were from 1863. I set out to answer two primary questions: 1. Who were the first graduates from Wesleyan, and when did they graduate? 2. Was the first commencement ceremony held the same here? If not, why not? In that case, when was it? As I investigated, two things became apparent. First, there were considerable gaps between the first couple of commencements and the first regular, consistently annual commencements. Second, those regular commencements began in 1861, at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. As such, I further wanted to answer: 3. Why were there several year periods with no commencement, and in some cases no graduates from Illinois Wesleyan? 4. How did the Civil War affect the young Illinois Wesleyan, and by extension its commencements?
The Celebrations Commence: The History of IWU’s First Graduates and Commencement Ceremonies
CNS E104 1.1 Alumni: Past and Present
It is common knowledge that Illinois Wesleyan University was founded in 1850. However, not everything that universities do can start in the first year. Commencement ceremonies—one of the integral parts of a university’s operation and culture—cannot happen until there are students to graduate and funds to do so. As such, it was far less clear when IWU’s first commencement ceremony was held. The earliest commencement programs stored in the archives were from 1863. I set out to answer two primary questions: 1. Who were the first graduates from Wesleyan, and when did they graduate? 2. Was the first commencement ceremony held the same here? If not, why not? In that case, when was it? As I investigated, two things became apparent. First, there were considerable gaps between the first couple of commencements and the first regular, consistently annual commencements. Second, those regular commencements began in 1861, at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. As such, I further wanted to answer: 3. Why were there several year periods with no commencement, and in some cases no graduates from Illinois Wesleyan? 4. How did the Civil War affect the young Illinois Wesleyan, and by extension its commencements?