Commencement

Do you know where the first commencement was held on the Davis campus?

Prior to 1948, students completing the requirements for the certificate of graduation in the two-year curricula or the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the College of Agriculture, were awarded their degrees at the commencement exercises at the University of California, Berkeley.

The first commencement held on the Davis campus occurred on June 17, 1948 and took place in the Sunken Garden. The courtyard of Shields Library marks the present day location of the Sunken Garden. A plaque there commemorates the site.

Davis commencements were held in the Sunken Garden from 1948-1956. Subsequent commencements were held at the Quadrangle, Toomey Field, Freeborn Hall, and the Recreation Hall. Many of the commencement ceremonies are still held in the Recreation Hall which is now the UC Davis Pavilion.

Best wishes to all of the 2013 UC Davis graduates!