Celebrating IU’s class of 2023 and honorary degree recipients

We are about to enter one of my favorite weeks of the year, when we honor the impressive accomplishments of our graduating students at Indiana University. Starting Friday and through the following week, we will award 21,199 degrees to 20,593 students at nine ceremonies across all IU campuses. 
 
The class of 2023 is incredibly diverse, with students from all 92 Indiana counties, every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 132 countries worldwide. Their ages span from 18 to 77, more than 21% are first-generation college students, and almost 70% are Indiana residents. 
 
At IU, every graduating student’s journey is unique, inspiring, and filled with stories of determination and excellence. Our students have engaged in innovative research, completed internships, studied abroad, contributed to IU’s robust campus life, balanced jobs and family responsibilities, and provided exceptional service to their communities. I cannot wait to celebrate with them.  
 
Finally, it will be my great honor to award two honorary degrees this commencement season. James T. Morris will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at the IU Bloomington undergraduate commencement ceremony for his enduring contributions to IU and the state of Indiana, andJustice Robert D. Rucker will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws at the IU Northwest commencement ceremony for his lifetime accomplishments in Indiana and the legal profession.
 
To all our graduates and honorees, we are extremely proud of your achievements. To our student commencement speakers, we look forward to your inspiring remarks. We wish our class of 2023 the very best as you join the ranks of our amazing community of more than 760,000 living IU alumni.

Pamela Whitten

President
Indiana University