Commencement Ceremony

This list of graduates is accurate as possible but should not be regarded as the final. Graduates will receive diplomas by mail upon successful completion of their academic degrees. Graduates who have privacy restrictions on their records are not included in the list.

The graduation gowns worn by Fort Lewis College bachelor’s degree candidates and faculty hold origins in the academic dress of the 12th and 13th centuries. In the late 19th century, colors for each academic discipline were standardized for academic dress.  

In 1895, an intercollegiate commission adopted the first “code” of academic dress that included style, cut of the gowns, and prescribed colors. The gown for bachelor’s degree candidates features pointed sleeves and is designed to be worn closed. The doctoral degree gown has bell-shaped sleeves, a front facing of velvet, and three bars of velvet across the sleeves. Facings and sleeve bars may be the color of the discipline in which the doctoral degree was obtained, but traditionally they are black. The material that drapes across the chest and down the back, called hoods, is much more complex in coloring and design. Generally, hoods worn by faculty who have attained their doctorate degrees are trimmed in dark blue to represent their mastery of a discipline. Some institutions also include their school colors in the hood’s design, and others might include the colors of the academic discipline in which the degree was obtained. 

• Agriculture — Maize 
• Arts, Letters, Humanities — White 
• Accountancy, Business — Drab 
• Economics — Copper 
• Education — Light Blue 
• Engineering — Orange 
• Exercise Science — Sage 
• Fine Arts — Brown 
• Journalism — Crimson 
• Law — Purple 
• Library Science — Lemon 
• Medicine — Green 
• Music — Pink 
• Oratory — Silver Gray 
• Pharmacy — Olive Green 
• Philosophy — Dark Blue 
• Political Science — Citron 
• Public Administration — Peacock Blue 
• Public Health — Salmon Pink 
• Science — Golden Yellow 
• Social Work — Citron 
• Theology — Scarlet 
• Theatre — Blue 

Fort Lewis College bachelor’s degree candidates wear mortarboards with the tassels hanging to the right before they receive their degrees. Graduates move the tassels to the left after recognition  
by the President. 

Graduation Protocol 

The Fort Lewis College Commencement Ceremony is a solemn, celebratory occasion that recognizes and honors a major life passage for the institution’s graduates. As such, audience members are asked to observe the following: 

• Please turn off cell phones.
• Please stand in respect when the graduation processional begins.
• Please show respect for all graduates by staying through the entirety of the ceremony and not leaving after your graduate has been recognized.
• Please remain seated during the recession of faculty and graduates.
• Please note that an American Sign Language interpreter will be located to the left side of the stage.  

Graduation Memories 

facebook.com/fortlewis
#FLCClassOf2026 

Grad Images is the official photographer for Commencement. Photos will be available for purchase within 48–72 hours. Please visit gradimages.com for more information. 

Graduation Reception 

The President’s Office hosts a reception for graduates, their families and guests, and college faculty, staff, and administrators immediately following the ceremony at San Juan Dining Hall in the Student Union. Refreshments will be served. 

Ringing of the Bell 

Per tradition, the FLC community will once again hear the chimes of the legendary Skyhawk bell. This storied bell served many years on a steam locomotive of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The bell was gifted to Fort Lewis College by William M. White and the D&RGW on December 7, 1963. This year, the bell will ring 68 times, marking each year this special tradition has been honored. 

In the event of inclement weather that prevents us from holding the commencement ceremony outdoors, the ceremony will be moved indoors to Whalen Gymnasium. To ensure that all allocated tickets for students’ guests are honored, two separate ceremonies will be held. 

Both ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 2. The first ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the second ceremony at 12 p.m. Each ceremony will last approximately one hour. 

Students will be notified of the activation of the inclement weather plan and their assigned ceremony time on Wednesday, April 29. Graduates will be assigned a ceremony time based on their major.