Commencement traditions at Fresno State
As the 100th Commencement in May 2011 approaches, the university has begun celebrating its past. This year, the 99th class graduates from Fresno State, but excitement about the school's Centennial year has already started.

Commencements mark the university's journey since its beginnings as Fresno State Normal School on September 11, 1911, at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno.

On June 7, 1912, just before its first birthday, Fresno Normal School held Commencement ceremonies at the High School Auditorium, where 31 women and two men graduated. The next year celebrated the graduation of 109 students.

By June 1914, the school had moved to the University and Van Ness avenues, which are presently home to Fresno City College. A five-day graduation ceremony was held at the Normal Court and became a tradition thereafter.

The year 1916 brought a mid-year Commencement exercise held for the February class in the New Gymnasium at 8 p.m. For the next couple of years, two commencements were held each year. From 1917 to 1921, Commencement ceremonies were held in the evenings at the Normal School Auditorium or the East Court.

On Sept. 19, 1921, Fresno Normal became Fresno State Teachers College. At that time, the school received authorization from the state to grant a Bachelor in Arts in Elementary and Junior High Teaching. The Commencement ceremony moved to 10 a.m. in the College Auditorium, where, in 1923, six bachelor’s degrees were conferred. In 1934, the school became Fresno State College. The morning ceremonies continued until 1936, except for 1935, when the event was held in the evening at the Library Lawn.

After this, Commencement was held at the West Campus Lawn and remained there until 1946. For the next decade, the ceremony was moved to the East Campus Lawn. Evening Commencement ceremonies resumed in 1942. The first master's degree was conferred by Fresno State College in 1949.

Around 1955, Fresno State College moved to its present location at Cedar and Shaw avenues. But Commencement still took place at the old location. It wasn't until the next year that Commencement ceremonies were held in Ratcliffe Stadium at Blackstone and University avenues, across from the old campus.

On June 5, 1963, 1,223 students graduated with bachelor's degrees and 168 received their master's degrees at the amphitheater, which became the new venue for commencements.

In 1972, Fresno State College’s name was changed to California State University, Fresno. From the early 1970s to 1981, the Commencement ceremony was held at the Selland Arena at the Convention Center in downtown Fresno. But in 1982, Commencement moved to Bulldog Stadium on the Fresno State campus, where nearly 2,900 students graduated that year. In 2003, the last Commencement ceremony in Bulldog Stadium granted 3,286 bachelor’s and 680 master's degrees.

In 2004, the ceremony moved to the Save Mart Center at Fresno State. In 2007, the university began its own doctorate program.

This year the 99th annual Commencement will be held May 22. A 13-month celebration began last month, bringing alumni and the entire community to campus to mark the school's Centennial.

The journey from its inception as a teacher preparatory school to a university that grants doctorate degrees has been a long one, but Fresno State retains the same dedication to its students. During Commencement, faculty, staff, administrators, parents, family, and friends join together in marking students' accomplishments in an ancient tradition with roots in the first medieval universities. Even though they are larger nowadays, Commencement ceremonies remain a time of celebration for everyone who contributed to the success of alumni. Commencements are also a time to look forward to a bright future, envisioned by Fresno State seal, the Latin inscription of which translates: "Receive the light that you may give it forth."