Congratulations Graduates
Thursday, May 14 | 6:00 p.m. | State Farm Center
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Welcome family and friends around the world!
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A Welcome from the Dean
We are immensely proud to celebrate our graduates who have earned the highest degree, the doctorate, along with their faculty mentors.
Doctoral hooding is a symbolic gesture that represents the culmination of scholarly and personal achievement. During the ceremony, the hood is placed over a student’s head by a mentor or senior scholar, marking the transition from learner to producer or contributor in one’s field. It recognizes their academic achievements and welcomes them into the community of scholars.
Illinois has a rich tradition in doctoral education. Our first two Doctor of Philosophy degrees were awarded in 1903, one in Chemistry and one in Mathematics. That was over 100 years ago. The graduates celebrated this term join generations of distinguished alumni who are leaders and innovators, impacting the lives of people around the world.
I am confident that these graduates, with their commitment and perseverance, will use their knowledge and expertise to shape our future in profound ways.
We are excited to celebrate all you have accomplished, surrounded by the family, friends, mentors, and colleagues who helped you succeed.
Sincerely,
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College
Order of Ceremony
Welcome
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College
Greetings from the Chancellor
Charles L. Isbell, Jr., Chancellor
Greetings from the Provost
John Coleman, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Remarks from the Speaker
Raksha Mudar, Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science
Recognition of Graduates
Each graduate will be called individually and hooded by a member of the graduate faculty.
Graduates will be recognized by college in the following order:
- College of Agriculture, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
- College of Applied Health Sciences
- Gies College of Business
- College of Education
- Grainger College of Engineering
- College of Fine & Applied Arts
- School of Information Sciences
- School of Labor & Employment Relations
- College of Law
- College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- College of Media
- School of Social Work
- College of Veterinary Medicine
About our Speaker
Dr. Raksha Mudar is a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign. She is also an affiliate of the Neuroscience graduate program. Dr. Mudar received her PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas, where she also completed her postdoctoral training. She is an American Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association certified Speech‑Language Pathologist and a Fellow of the Association.
Dr. Mudar’s research investigates the effects of aging and age‑related conditions, including mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and hearing loss, on cognitive and social health. Her work also focuses on developing non‑pharmacological interventions to promote brain health and support aging in place.
A strong advocate for graduate education and mentoring, Dr. Mudar has served as Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Speech and Hearing Science and has received the College of Applied Health Sciences Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award. She has been a member of the Graduate College Mentoring Advisory Group and is currently serving on the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act Expert Panel. Dr. Mudar is deeply committed to graduate student training and mentoring the next generation of clinicians and scientists.
Ritual and Tradition of Academic Dress
History of Academic Dress
The history of academic dress begins around the twelfth century when the earliest universities were forming in Europe. At that time, the dress of a scholar—whether student or teacher—was that of a cleric. Typically, a medieval scholar would have taken ecclesiastical vows and would have been tonsured. The long gowns were worn primarily for warmth and hoods would have covered the heads of the scholars who spent many hours in unheated monasteries where ancient texts were maintained.
Subsequently, the material of the gown and lining, and the shape of the hood, represented the economic, social, and academic status of the wearer. The wearing of distinctive regalia for universities emerged in England in the second half of the fourteenth century.
In the United States, the tradition of academic dress dates to the 1880s, when different institutions established their own academic dress codes. Black is the traditional color for gowns, although at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, academic dress has been designed specifically for the Institution—blue gowns with orange accents and blue mortarboards
Features of Doctoral Regalia
Today the doctoral gown is faced down the front with velvet and has bell-shaped sleeves with three bars of velvet across each sleeve, differentiating it from the bachelor’s and master’s gowns. The facing and bars may be black or blue, as is the case at Illinois, or may be the color of the subject to which the degree pertains. Doctoral gowns may be worn open or closed.
Another distinction of the doctoral gown is its longer hood, which measures 4 feet. Hoods are lined with the official color or colors of the college or university conferring the degree. At Illinois, the lining is orange and blue.
The five-inch, colored, velvet border of the hood identifies different doctoral degrees as follows:
- Dark Blue – Doctor of Philosophy / PhD
- Light Blue – Doctor of Education / EdD
- Pink – Doctor of Musical Arts / DMA
- Purple – Doctor of the Science of Law / JSD
- Medium Blue – Doctor of Audiology / DAud
For Event Details
To find more information for participants, including registration, visit the Doctoral Hooding Registration and Participant Information page.
For information about May 2026 Commencement ceremonies visit the Commencement website.