ABINGTON, Pa. — Although the forecast for thunderstorms has moved the Penn State Abington spring 2017 commencement indoors to the athletics building, faculty and staff at the campus are preparing for a downpour of laughter and tears at the ceremony.
Abington expects to award 400 diplomas, the campus' highest number to date, including 12 associate, 386 baccalaureate, and two master's degrees.
Commencement begins at 10 a.m. on May 5, and tickets are required for admission to the athletics building. For information on alternate viewing locations and the post-ceremony reception, go to the Abington commencement page.
The commencement speaker is Lawrence Otis Graham, an attorney and New York Times best-selling author of 14 books on race, class, education and diversity in America. His book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class” is in its 30th printing, and Netflix is developing the book into a series. He is a frequent commentator on programs such as "Charlie Rose," "Good Morning America," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," and "The Today Show."
Penn State Abington, formerly the Ogontz campus, offers baccalaureate degrees in 18 majors at its suburban location just north of Philadelphia. Nearly half of our 4,000 students complete all four years at Abington, with opportunities in undergraduate research, the Schreyer honors program, NCAA Division III athletics, and more. Students can start the first two years of more than 160 Penn State majors at Abington and complete their degrees at University Park or another campus. Lions Gate, our first residence hall, will open in August.