Kellogg Convocation

Reserving convocation tickets for guests
Tickets are required for guests to attend the Convocation ceremony on June 13 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. All students are guaranteed four guest tickets for Convocation at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Graduates will receive instructions on how to reserve their guest tickets via email. Only graduates can reserve guest tickets. Any tickets that go unclaimed during the initial round of ticketing will be reentered into the ticket pool and graduates will be able to request additional tickets from this pool of tickets later in Spring Quarter.

VIEWING THE LIVESTREAM ON CONVOCATION DAY

The Convocation ceremony will be streamed live on this page on Convocation Day. Check back here about 10 minutes before the ceremony starts to view the ceremony in full.

DRESS CODE

We suggest letting family members and guests know that it can be quite warm (or cold) on the day of the ceremony. Please monitor the weather and dress with weather and comfort in mind. Business casual attire – for example, dress pants and a shirt for men and a dress for women – is appropriate.

Lodgings, activities, entertainment and dining
Staying overnight? There are four hotels and two bed and breakfast locations to choose from in Evanston. Each lodging option in Evanston offers personalized service, dining and/or banquet facilities, and amenities to help you do business or relax during your stay. The North Shore Visitors Bureau link below has many nearby options close to Evanston. (Please note that the downtown Evanston Hilton Orrington hotel has recently closed).

Be sure to bring your appetite when you’re in Evanston because it offers enough diverse dining options to suit every palate and mood.

There are many things to do and see in and around Evanston.

CAP AND GOWN

Custom purple gowns are the regalia standard and must be worn by all participating candidates. Visit the regalia page of the Commencement website to find the link to order, along with guidelines and further details about your Northwestern regalia. Place your order by May 4 to ensure that it arrives on time. You can arrange pickup at the Norris Center in Evanston in June or have your order shipped to you for an extra cost.

Caps and gowns are designed for Northwestern and feature the University crest. The tassels feature the Northwestern seal signet and are worn on the left side at all times.

Candidates may not alter or decorate their regalia in any way or wear additional articles not directly related to academic merit. Doing so may interfere with your ability to participate.

All degree candidates wear hoods. The lining of the Northwestern hood is purple and gold, and the color of the velvet border of the hood is acorn. Kellogg's tassels are acorn colored.

All degree candidates may keep their regalia. The gowns are made of GreenWeaver fabric, a sustainable fabric created from 23 plastic bottles that can be recycled after graduation if the graduate chooses to do so. 

ACCOMMODATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY

Welsh-Ryan Arena is the recently remodeled basketball and sports arena on Northwestern's campus. With air-conditioning, elevators, and handicap accessible seating, we hope that this venue will provide a comfortable and accessible location for this special day. 

Northwestern University provides reasonable accommodations for all events and programs. While seating is general admission, onsite assistance will be available to direct guests with needs to accessible seating. Every reasonable effort will be made to implement accommodations in an effective and timely manner. Captioning will be available in English on site and on the livestreams in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Guests can also view the livestream on a mobile device for improved audio quality.

Ellen Kullman '83
We are pleased to announce that Kellogg alum Ellen Kullman '83 will be this year’s Convocation speaker. Ellen has served as CEO of Carbon since 2019. Prior to this role, she was chair of the board and CEO of DuPont from January 2009 to October 2015. Prior to her 27-year career at DuPont, she worked for Westinghouse and General Electric.

Kullman is co-chair of Paradigm for Parity. She is a member of the boards of directors of Carbon, Dell Technologies, Amgen and Goldman Sachs. She is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Council on Foreign Relations and is a past chair of the US-China Business Council. She serves on the board of overseers of Tufts University School of Engineering and is a trustee of Northwestern University.

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Kullman holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.