Ancel Plaza

Ancel Plaza (Image via WikiCU)

Strong, beautiful seniors, rejoice!  Last we heard, you were going to graduate out of Levien Gym in Dodge Fitness Center.  Thankfully, the Barnard administration has settled on something decidedly above ground.

The 2010 Barnard commencement will take place on Ancel Plaza in front of SIPA, after which new graduates and their families can continue the celebration on their home turf on Lehman Lawn.

DSpar’s email will be sent to the entire Barnard community shortly.  The full email message is after the jump.

We are pleased to announce that on May 17, 2010, Barnard College’s 118th Commencement ceremony will take place at 2pm on Ancel Plaza, located on Columbia University’s campus between the Law School and the School of International and Public Affairs. Following the ceremony, the Class of 2010 will return to Barnard’s Lehman Lawn for celebrations with friends, family and faculty.

Each student will be allotted 3 tickets, with additional tickets distributed via lottery. Lottery details will be announced in a later email from Dean Denburg. The ceremony will also be simulcast for overflow seating in additional locations.

The decision to hold Commencement on Ancel Plaza was made after thorough consideration of a number of possible venues, both in the neighborhood and around the city, and was based on invaluable input from our seniors regarding their priorities for this special occasion. As I’ve mentioned before, all of the potential venues had some drawbacks, but Ancel Plaza proved to be the best choice for balancing the majority of student concerns.

We thank the members of the Class of 2010 for their collective enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and patience, and look forward to celebrating their spectacular achievements together on May 17.

Debora Spar