We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2024!
Commencement
Friday, May 3, 2024
11 a.m.
JMA Wireless Dome
Graduate Recognition and Celebration
Thursday, May 2, 2024
5 p.m.
Levy Atrium, Dineen Hall
Recognition of the graduates and special awards.
Caps and Gowns
Regalia pick-up (cords, caps, gowns, awards, etc.) at the commencement fair.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
4 – 6 p.m.
Travis H.D. Lewin Commons, Dineen Hall
Thursday, May 2, 2024
5:45 – 7 p.m.
Travis H.D. Lewin Commons, Dineen Hall
The regalia rental link is now live! The deadline to order your regalia is March 18.
J.D. (Residential and JDinteractive) Class of 2024:
The Class of 2024 has gifted special funds of $61 per rental. Your discounted price of $70 reflects this. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
LL.M. Class of 2024:
The College of Law has gifted special funds of $59 per rental. Your discounted price of $70 reflects this. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
Rental Returns:
Rentals should be returned to the campus bookstore following the ceremony, but no later than Friday 5/17. If needed, rentals can be returned to the store via mail to arrive by Friday 5/17.
Syracuse University Campus Store
Schine Student Center
200 Waverly Ave
Syracuse NY 13244
Should you have any questions about Commencement 2024, including how to purchase the entire custom regalia package, please email lawcommencement@syr.edu, and our team will respond promptly.
Parking Information:
Parking for Commencement is available in the Raynor Lot and Irving Garage, no permit necessary.
A limited number of accessible parking spaces to the JMA Wireless Dome are available. Please email lawcommencement@syr.edu if someone in your party requires accessible accommodations.
Photography Information:
Composite Photos:
Island Photography will be on campus in Dineen Hall on March 20-21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Collaboratory. Please book your photo shoot with the following link: Island Photography. A $10 fee applies.
If you are a JDinteractive student or are no longer at Dineen Hall, please use the Virtual Portrait Link to upload a photo for your class.
Commencement Photos:
Island Photography will be at the JMA Dome during commencement to take photos of graduates in their caps and gowns as they line up to cross the stage. Photos will be available to purchase once they are processed and uploaded to the web portal.
2024 Commencement Speaker
The Hon. James E. Graves, Jr. G’80, L’80
United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Judge James E. Graves, Jr. was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 10, 2010, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His nomination was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 14, 2011. Upon nominating Judge Graves, President Obama said, “Throughout his career James E. Graves has shown unwavering integrity and an outstanding commitment to public service.”
Judge Graves was born in Clinton, Mississippi. He earned his B.A. in sociology at Millsaps College. He worked in Mississippi’s Department of Public Welfare for two years before beginning law school. He then earned his law degree, as well as a master’s degree in public administration at Syracuse University.
Upon graduation from law school, Judge Graves worked as a staff attorney with Central Mississippi Legal Services. He engaged in private practice in Jackson for three years before joining the Office of the Mississippi Attorney General as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Health Law Division, and later served as head of the Human Services Division. He then joined the Mississippi Department of Human Services where he served as Director of the Division of Child Support Enforcement.
In 1991, Judge Graves was appointed as a circuit judge in Hinds County, where he served for ten years. In 2001, he was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court. He was elected to continue on the court in 2004. He served as a presiding justice from 2009 until 2011, when he joined the Fifth Circuit.
Judge Graves has served as an adjunct professor at Jackson State University, Millsaps College, and Tougaloo College. He taught courses in civil rights and media law as well as the sociology of law. He has also been a Teaching Team Member of the Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop.
As the first African American from Mississippi to serve on the Fifth Circuit, Judge Graves was awarded the Mississippi Trailblazer of the Decade award—an award that recognizes Mississippians who have shown a commitment to racial, cultural, and gender diversity and who have presented Mississippi in a positive light.
Judge Graves was awarded the 2011 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in recognition of his deep commitment to working with Mississippi youth. Other organizations have acknowledged Judge Graves’ work with youth as well. In 2009, he was awarded the Maxwell Public Administration Award by Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, which recognizes alumni for exceptional work in public service. Millsaps College awarded him the Livesay Award in 2004 for his service to Millsaps College and the larger community. He was awarded the Humanized Education Award in 2002 by the Mississippi Association of Educators. He was Jackson Public School District’s 2001 Parent of the Year and the First Alternate for Mississippi’s Parent of the Year Award for 2001. In 1991, he was named Champion Adopter by the Lake Elementary School’s Boys for a Brighter Tomorrow Program in honor of his mentoring.
Judge Graves has three sons, all of whom are attorneys. He and his wife, Dr. Bettye Ramsey Graves, are active members of New Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.
Get Your Class of 2024 Giving Cord:
If you wish to give back to your Syracuse Law community through the Class of 2024 Class Act Campaign, you can do so using this link. You can earmark your donation so that it goes to any Syracuse Law organization or entity of your choosing (Law Review, a journal, or even the Study Abroad Program)! Those who donate any amount to the campaign are eligible to receive a Class Act graduation cord. Please email fjdiddle@syr.edu if you have questions about the campaign or graduation cord.
Archives
See Speakers from Past Commencements
For questions regarding the College of Law Commencement, please contact lawcommencement@syr.edu.