The Graduate School invites our May Ph.D. graduates and their advisors to the ILR Conference Center for the opportunity to have a professional photographer capture images of the ceremonial hooding prior to the formal Ph.D. Recognition Ceremony on May 24, 2024. Photos will be shared with graduates free of charge in the days following Commencement.

The doctoral hooding, in which a faculty member places the hood over the shoulders of the graduate, signifies the graduate’s success in completing their graduate program.

Photographers and photo backdrops will be available between 3 and 5 p.m. in room 229 of the ILR Conference Center, which is immediately adjacent to Barton Hall on Garden Ave. Hundreds of doctoral graduates will be recognized at the event, so please plan to arrive early to avoid a last-minute rush to take your photos. The photographers will not be available following the formal Ph.D. Recognition Ceremony, but you may take photos yourself with your advisor after the ceremony.

Graduates are free to invite their advisors or another committee member to perform the hooding. In addition, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Kathryn Boor, will be available from 4 to 5 p.m. to hood graduates whose advisors are unable to attend. Graduates should wear their appropriate cap, gown, and hood. Faculty members may wear their regalia, but it is not required.

Graduates and their advisors do not need to RSVP to take advantage of this opportunity.

Please contact the Graduate School with any questions about this event: gradschool@cornell.edu.