![\"Commencement_19501960\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.iwu.edu\/asc\/files\/2020\/08\/Commencement_19501960.jpg\")
<\/a>ca 1950-60 in front of Duration Hall in the center of the Quad (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n
Although Commencement is sometimes held inside due to inclement weather, IWU has a tradition of holding the ceremony outdoors going back to the early 1900s. The second building IWU built served as backdrop and it was positioned on the northern end<\/a> of what we now know as the Quad. It was first known as Main and Old Main (1870), the Hedding Hall (1936) and finally Duration Hall (1943).<\/p>\n Commencement 1970<\/p><\/div>\n Sometime between 1960-1970 the location changed to\u00a0McPherson Beach, on the north side of the School of Theatre Arts.<\/p>\n In 1990, the location for Commencement changed from McPherson Beach to its present location.<\/p>\n ca. 2002 In our current Quad location but note the arches of Sheean Library in the foreground<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n The backdrop for Commencement from 1990-2011 was Sheean Library until it was razed in 2011 and replaced with State farm Hall, which was built on Sheean’s footprint. This location was named Kemp Plaza in 2013, the same year that State Farm Hall opened.<\/p>\n State Farm Hall, 2019<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here’s a selection<\/a> of Commencement photos from days gone by. We have also made it possible for programs and some recordings<\/a> from 70 Commencements of IWU’s 170 year history to be available online.<\/p>\n Below are some fun facts about IWU customs and graduation requirements. In looking at how they have changed over the years, just imagine what will happen in future Titan times!<\/p>\n Did you know that <\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>\n