Pratt’s 2025 Commencement streamed live on Tuesday, May 20, at 10 AM ET.
Congratulations to the class of 2025!
Commencement 2025 at Radio City Music Hall featured inspirational words from Commencement speaker Claudia Rankine, poet and cultural critic, who received an honorary degree. Pratt Institute alumni Annabelle Selldorf, renowned architect, and Stefan Sagmeister, visionary designer and typographer, also received honorary degrees and shared their thoughts with the class of 2025. Read more in our coverage.
Ceremony Schedule
FACULTY PROCESSIONAL
Pomp and Circumstance
Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1954)
PRESENTATION OF THE MACE
Justice Whitaker
Distinguished Teacher (2024–25)
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Uzma Z. Rizvi
President, Academic Senate
THE ALMA MATER
Nina Kulikov
Bachelor of Fine Arts,
Painting
Tempe Munach
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting
OPENING DECLARATIONS
Frances Bronet
President, Pratt Institute
THE PRATT LEGACY
Gary Hattem
Chair, Board of Trustees
FACULTY HONORS
Frank Franca
Adjunct Assistant Professor,
Undergraduate Communications Design
STUDENT SPEAKERS
Delmy M. Lendof
Vice President for Student Affairs
Valeria Zhikharevich
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Communications Design
Victoria Forbes
Master of Arts, Art and Design Education
CONFERRING OF HONORARY DEGREES
Stefan Sagmeister
Doctor of Fine Arts
Introduced by William Hilson
Presented by Dean Anita Cooney
Annabelle Selldorf
Doctor of Fine Arts
Introduced by Kathryn Chenault
Presented by Dean Quilian Riano
Claudia Rankine
Doctor of Letters
Introduced by Mike Pratt
Presented by Interim Dean Karyn Zieve
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Claudia Rankine
2025 DEGREE CANDIDATES
Frances Bronet
President, Pratt Institute
School of Architecture
Dean Quilian Riano
School of Art
Dean Jorge Oliver
School of Design
Dean Anita Cooney
School of Information
Dean Anthony Cocciolo
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Interim Dean Karyn Zieve
PRESIDENTIAL CONGRATULATIONS
Frances Bronet
President, Pratt Institute
CLOSING DECLARATION
Uzma Z. Rizvi
President, Academic Senate
RECESSIONAL
Prince of Denmark’s March
Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1673–1707)
Share your celebration!
Grads are sharing their celebrations on social media. Explore the hashtag #PrattGrad25 for more, and find full coverage of Commencement on the news page.