The History Department holds a departmental commencement ceremony annually each spring in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater - a venue surrounded by the U-shaped Hellems Arts and Sciences Building. The ceremony lasts for approximately one hour and will be followed by a reception.
Graduating students may bring as many guests as they would like and guests do not need tickets to attend the ceremony. Graduating students are asked to RSVP to the history department at least one week before the ceremony with their name and the number of people (including themself) coming to the ceremony. See the History Commencement Information/Instructions.
The Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater is ADA accessible from the southwest entrance near the CU Museum and Denison buildings and from inside Hellems' first floor west wing via a ramp at the rear of the theater on the northwest side. If you need an ADA accommodation for mobility or communication, please fill out an ADA Accommodation Request Form and return it to the department.
Most campus parking lots (including all parking meters and pay stations) are free on the day of commencement. There may also be some free parking on the streets surrounding the university, but please be aware there is a strict 2-hour maximum limit on most neighborhood street parking and the area is patrolled regularly. There is ADA accessible parking available in the CU Museum parking lot (#208). For detailed information about parking for commencement, see: https://www.colorado.edu/commencement/travel-parking-information
Unfortunately, the History Department is unable to hold a departmental commencement ceremony in August or December. Students graduating in August may participate in the previous spring ceremony and students graduting in December may participate in the upcoming spring ceremony.
