UConn will hold its first mid-year commencement in the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 14, awarding diplomas to 676 students who completed their degrees in August and December. The speaker will be astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz '73 (ENG). The University's first commencement ceremony was held June 28, 1882, serving as a closing to the first academic year of the Storrs Agricultural School. The first ceremony with graduates was held a year later, in 1883, with six students receiving their diplomas.

Photos on this page highlight other UConn commencement firsts. All photos are courtesy of the University Archives in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.
-- Mark J. Roy '74 (CLAS)

[ Above ] The earliest known commencement photo is from a June 1899 outdoor ceremony - the first after Storrs Agricultural College became known as Connecticut Agricultural College.
[ Above ] During the first 25 years of the University's life, graduates wore their Sunday best; it was in 1907 that caps and gowns were first worn by the senior class.
[ Above ] The first University Scholars were recognized at the commencement ceremony in 1952. They received congratulations from President Albert Jorgensen and Provost Albert Waugh. Seen here, from left, are Byron Shinn, Margaret Cardwell, Robert Blanchette, Natalie How, Abbe Cohen, Geraldine Carlson, Waugh, Jorgensen, Allan Randall, and Sherwood West.
Fred Rogers, left, addressed the UConn neighborhood at the first commencement held in Gampel Pavilion in 1991. In 1949, three students were the first Ph.D. candidates to receive their degrees. Shown in the photo on the right are: Samuel Steingiser, Rowland Mayor, and Tso-Kan Chang.