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Graduation Celebration

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Celebration Day
Event Information
Event Program
Participant Information & Registration

2024 Graduation Celebration: Friday, June 7

The Allen School cordially invites family and friends to join us the evening of Friday, June 7 to honor the accomplishments of our 2024 graduates. Graduates and their guests are also invited to join us for an open house earlier that day, where they will have a chance to explore the Allen Center and Gates Center and meet our faculty and staff.

More details for attendees are below; detailed registration instructions, information on how to purchase graduation stoles and swag, and relevant deadlines for participants are available on the Information for Participants page.

Allen School Open House for Graduates & Families

The Allen School invites graduates and their families to join us on campus for an open house to kick off the graduation festivities. Meet our faculty and staff, explore our buildings, take commemorative school photos, and enjoy some light refreshments on Friday, June 7, between 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

Formal Graduation Celebration

Classmates, family and friends are invited to join us in formally recognizing the members of the graduating class of 2024. During the celebration, we will distribute souvenir diplomas to our bachelor’s and master’s graduates, conduct the traditional hooding ceremony to honor our Ph.D. graduates, honor alumni who are using their Allen School education to change the world, and recognize our award recipients for their academic excellence, leadership and service. We are in awe of our soon-to-be-graduates and look forward to seeing you go out there and make the Allen School proud!

Note: This event will be live-streamed on the Allen School’s YouTube page and a recording made publicly available for later viewing for the benefit of those who cannot join us in person.

UW Commencement

The UW is holding its 2024 commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 8. Details here.

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Information for Event Attendees

Accessible Accordion

Parking permits for a wide variety of campus lots may be purchased by graduates when they fill out the UW Registration/Order Form between May 1 & May 19. Permits are available for parking on Commencement Day, June 8, or for school, college and departmental ceremonies that take place on other days around Commencement, such as the Allen School’s events on June 7. Disability parking is available on any day and can be selected by the graduates when they complete the registration/order form. For more information visit the UW parking page.

Review the Approved Items List

The Allen School is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. For disability accommodations, please contact Amber Cochran at amberlco@cs.washington.edu as soon as possible and no later than Friday, May 24.

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Event Program

The following is the program for our Graduation Celebration.

Welcome Speech

Magdalena Balazinska, Professor and Allen School Director

Commencement Speaker

Portrait of Aubrey Weaver

Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon.com

Andy Jassy is President and CEO of Amazon.com and also serves on the Board of Directors. He founded and led Amazon Web Services (AWS) from its inception and served as its CEO from April 2016 until July 2021. He joined Amazon in 1997 and, prior to founding AWS, held various leadership roles across the company, including both business-to-business and business-to-consumer. He serves on the Trust of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, on the Board of Trustees for Rainier Scholars, and as Chair of Rainier Prep’s Board of Directors. He has an AB from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Hooding of Doctor of Philosophy Recipients

Presented by: Anna Karlin, Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Programs

Allen School Alumni Impact Awards

Presented by: Ed Lazowska, Professor, and Bill & Melinda Gates Chair Emeritus, and Magdalena Balazinska, Professor, and Allen School Director

Honorees:
John Colleran (B.S., ’87) and Karen Liu (Ph.D., ’05)

Hooding of Doctor of Philosophy Recipients

Presented by: Anna Karlin, Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Programs

Master of Science Processional

Presented by: Richard Anderson, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Program, and James Wilcox, Professor

Student Recognition

Undergraduate Teaching Awards

  • Presented by: Kianna Bolante, COM^2 Chair

Undergraduate Service Award

  • Presented by: Crystal Eney, Director of Student Services, and Chloe Dolese Mandeville, Assistant Director for Diversity & Access

Outstanding Undergraduate Honors Thesis Award

  • Presented by: Maya Cakmak, Professor

Master’s Thesis Award

  • Presented by: Maya Cakmak, Professor

Outstanding CSE Senior Awards

  • Presented by: Magdalena Balazinska, Professor and Allen School Director

Bob Bandes Memorial Excellence in Teaching Awards

Presented by: Justin Hsia, Teaching Professor

Bachelor of Science Processional

Presented by: Dan Grossman, Professor and Allen School Vice Director, and Arvind Krishnamurthy, Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Closing Remarks

Dan Grossman, Professor and Allen School Vice Director

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Participant Information & Registration

This page is your destination for what you need to know about participating in the 2024 Allen School Graduation Celebration. Check back as the date approaches for the latest updates — we will add more details as we have them.

Allen School Open House Details

  • Friday, June 7, 2024
  • 12:00 – 2:00 pm
  • Gates Center
  • Open house format — come at any point during the open hours.
  • Light refreshments will be served in various locations in the Gates Center.
  • Regalia is not necessary for this event, though there will be several photo booths and other photo ops throughout the buildings.
  • Stole pick-up and swag sale for those who have not picked up their stoles already or had them delivered to their homes, and who want some branded merch commemorating their time at the Allen School.

Allen School Graduation Celebration Details

  • Friday, June 7, 2024
  • 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (end time tentative) PDT
  • Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
  • Regalia is encouraged but not required; otherwise business casual. Just about all of the Ph.D. grads will wear regalia. (Otherwise, how else do you get “hooded”?). Usually the majority (but not all) of our undergrad and master’s graduates wear regalia. Order UW regalia via the UW Graduation Registration/Order Form May 1 – 19.
  • Parking: You can purchase a parking permit via the UW Graduation Registration/Order Form if you plan to park on campus for the Allen School event. You can purchase them at the same time as buying your regalia, etc. Parking will also be available to purchase day-of when you arrive to campus.
  • Doors at Hec Ed will open at 5:00 p.m., graduates please be on the arena floor by 5:30 p.m.
  • All graduates will be subject to a quick bag and gown check. Prohibited items include: alcohol, glass, signs, balloons, confetti, noisemakers… 
  • Graduates will be seated on the arena floor, we’ll have the rows labeled (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD) and staff will be directing traffic. 
  • Accessibility seating & Accommodation Requests: ADA accessible seating for guests is located directly off the concourse at the top of the arena, and will be marked clearly by signs. Hec Ed provides listening devices, which will be available for sign-out on a table in the concourse. No reservations are required. If you have any additional questions, please email Amber Cochran at amberlco@cs.washington.edu.
  • Recessional instructions: Ph.D. graduates will remain on the arena floor for class photos. Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates should wait to be released from their rows by the advising staff and will be directed out and onto the Hec Ed Concourse, where they can join their families, friends, and fellow alumni!

Eligibility

Anyone who earned or will earn their B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. between Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 is eligible to walk in the Allen School celebration and/or participate in the UW General Commencement.

Participant Registration Timeline

Allen School Graduation Celebration and Open House

Step 1: Register To Participate by May 19

Allen School Graduation & Open House Registration

Please register by May 19 (late registrations for Allen event allowed). Graduates can register for both the Allen School Open House & Graduation Celebration using the same form. No tickets for you or your guests will be required for entry to either event.

[Optional] Program name requests are due by May 3. If you wish to either opt out of appearing in the printed graduation program or wish to use a name in the program other than your legal name, complete registration by May 3. Requests made after this date cannot be honored. If no request is made, we will use your Student Record Name as listed in the university system. (This may not be the same as an updated preferred name.)

Step 2: Order Your Allen School Graduation Stole

Password to enter the site & access the form: UWCSE2024!

Order by May 19, if you need it delivered to your home. If you are planning to pick up at the Allen School, order by June 5. 

Step 3: Order Regalia & Parking Permits, May 1-19

Regalia for the Allen School Graduation is optional. Use the 2024 UW Graduation Registration/Order Form to order regalia and parking permits for all graduation events, if you or your family plan to drive. This is also where you will order tickets and parking permits for the big UW Commencement on Saturday if you are participating in it.

Be prepared to pay online with Visa, MasterCard, or debit card. Those living in the Seattle area will pick up the items they ordered at the University Book Store, May 28 – June 1, during regular store hours.  You will select your pickup date when ordering online. Students who are no longer in the Seattle area will be directed to specific pick-up times closer to the date of the ceremony.

If you have concerns about your ability to purchase or rent regalia, and inability to do so may cause you to consider missing the commencement ceremony, please contact grad-advising@cs.washington.edu.

Step 4: Contribute to the Allen School Graduation Kudoboard

Families, friends and classmates of the graduating classes are invited to post photos and messages to graduates on the Allen School’s graduation Kudoboard, which will be displayed publicly during both celebration events.

Step 5: Attend the Allen School Events on June 7!

  • Allen School Events: Open House and Graduation Celebration

UW Commencement Details & Timeline

May 1 – May 19

June 8

Questions about the Allen School Events?

For all other questions: email graduation-celebration@cs.washington.edu..

For disability accommodations: please contact Amber Cochran at amberlco@cs.washington.edu as soon as possible and no later than Friday, May 24.