Penn State’s fall 2024 commencement ceremonies at University Park, typically held on a Saturday, have been bumped to Sunday, Dec. 22 “due to a potential conflict with a large-scale event,” the university wrote in a news release this week.
That potential large-scale event? A possible College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium.
Though the university, curiously, did not specify that in the release, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Kathy Bieschke openly discussed the situation at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate Meeting.
The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams for the 2024 postseason and first-round games will be hosted by the higher-seeded teams on Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21.
Penn State’s fall commencement usually occurs the Saturday immediately following finals week, which this year would be Dec. 21. The three ceremonies — one for graduate degrees and two for bachelor’s/associate degrees — for approximately 3,500 University Park and World Campus degree recipients are held at the Bryce Jordan Center, across the street from Beaver Stadium.
“There is no possibility of holding commencement at the same time as the game,” Bieschke said. “Everyone knows that would be absolutely ridiculous.”
While it’s, of course, uncertain if the Nittany Lion football team will make the playoffs, let alone host a playoff game, the change “is being made out of an abundance of caution to allow dedicated time to honor graduates’ accomplishments and contribute to a smoother experience for their families and friends,” the Penn State release stated.
The university also urged families planning to travel to fall commencement to book their accommodations as soon as possible. Ceremonies will, as always, be livestreamed as well for those who cannot attend.
Graduation ceremonies at Commonwealth Campuses will be unaffected and will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The change to Sunday ceremonies at University Park is expected to be for fall 2024 only, Bieschke said.
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen with the football playoff system enough to say what are we going to do for years moving forward, but I can assure you I am very motivated to not have graduation on a Sunday,” she said. “As soon as we have more details about that we’re going to have to come up with a plan that would avoid commencement and the football playoff happening on the same day.”
Time will tell if Penn State makes the field for the first 12-time College Football Playoff, but recent history suggests the Nittany Lions have decent odds. Penn State never made the four-team playoff in its decade of existence, but would have qualified for a 12-team bracket six times in the last eight years.
