Rockhurst University's spring commencement celebration is a meaningful and joyful occasion for all graduates and their loved ones.
Spring 2026 Commencement
1 p.m., Saturday, May 9, 2026
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Congratulations Hawks!
Commencement celebrates each graduate’s educational accomplishments and the time when the privileges, responsibilities, and degrees are conferred. Students who have met the graduation requirements for their program of study or expect to meet those requirements by the beginning of the subsequent fall semester are eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. This will allow participation in the Commencement Mass and the Hawk Walk march to the Power and Light District, where the traditional hat toss is held before graduates celebrate with family and friends in an exciting environment.
An outline of celebrations and commencement ceremonies will be released closer to the event dates.
December Graduates
Students graduating in December with an undergraduate degree will be celebrated at the commencement ceremony in May. Students graduating with an undergraduate nursing degree will participate in the pinning ceremony in December. Students graduating in December with a doctorate or a master’s degree can participate in the December hooding ceremony.
May/August Graduates
Students graduating in May/August with an undergraduate degree will be celebrated at the May commencement ceremony. Students graduating with an undergraduate nursing degree will participate in the pinning ceremony in May. Students graduating in May/August with a doctorate or a master’s degree can participate in the May hooding ceremony and walk in the May graduation. The exception to this is our Ed.D. students graduating in August, who will be hooded in December beginning in December 2025 and will walk in the following May graduation 2026.
Hooding Ceremony (Master & Doctoral Students)
College of Business and Technology Graduate Students
2026 Information TBA
College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Luke's College of Nursing and Health Sciences Graduate Students
2026 Information TBA
The hooding ceremony is a unique recognition of the achievement of each student who has earned a doctorate or final master's degree. Each candidate is introduced individually during the ceremony. Your hood will be placed on you on stage. The ceremony will be on the Rockhurst campus in the Convocation Center. Ticketing information and instructions will come from your college as we get closer to the event. Doors will open for guests one hour before the event.
Pinning Ceremony
Undergraduate Nursing Students
2026 Information TBA
The pin's history can be traced back to the Crusades of the 12th century. New monks were given a Maltese cross and vowed to serve sick soldiers during this time.
Fast-forward to the 1860s, Florence Nightingale was honored with the Red Cross of St. George for her selfless efforts to care for injured men during the Crimean (kri-meen) War. She presented a medal of excellence to her hardest-working nursing graduates. Later, each graduate at The Nightingale School of Nursing was awarded a badge with a Maltese cross to identify them as nurses and prove their education.
In the United States, the first pins were presented to a graduating class at Bellevue Hospital in New York City in 1880. By 1916, awarding pins was a tradition.
Students, faculty, and alums designed today’s pin. They intended to combine the proud tradition and values of Rockhurst University nursing education.
Traditionally, blue, the color found on the outside border of your pin, represents truth and loyalty. The Maltese cross, located in the center of your pin, symbolizes service. The points on the Maltese cross represent the college's values. The pin will remind you of the dedication and perseverance needed to have come this far. The oval shape of your pin and the BSN insignia will identify you as a College of Nursing and Health Sciences graduate.
Commencement Mass
Undergraduate and Graduate Students
2026 Information TBA
A celebration that honors our graduating class. All graduates, family, friends, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend. The Mass generally lasts an hour. Doors open an hour before mass. Graduates, please wear your regalia, cap, gown, tassel, and hood (hoods are for master's and doctoral students). Please report to Conway Hall. Graduates will line up on the Kinerk Commons (Quad). All graduates, faculty, and staff will process it to Mass together. We will update with the time as we get closer to the event.
Reception
Undergraduate and Graduate Students
2026 Information TBA
Following Mass, a reception will be held at Rockhurst University on the Kinerk Commons (Quad). Graduates, family, and friends are invited. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be fun photo opportunities.
Spring 2026 Commencement
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Place: Municipal Auditorium, Downtown Kansas City
The Commencement Ceremony & Celebration is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Municipal Auditorium, 301 W 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105. Doors will open to guests at noon. Please enter the building on 13th Street. No tickets are required, and seating is on a first-come, first-seated. Graduates, please be at the Municipal Auditorium at noon and follow the signs to your location on the lower level. Please ensure you have your regalia: a cap, gown, tassel, and hood (hood is for master's and doctorate students). You may not walk into the program if you do not have your regalia. Please wear appropriate attire under your gown. We strongly suggest that you not wear heels. You will need to walk from the lower level up to the main auditorium at Municipal. You will also walk from the Municipal Auditorium to the Power and Light District. For further information on your regalia, please click the link on the right of this page. The ceremony generally lasts two hours.
Protocol
Commencement, Hooding, and Pinning are significant for graduates. It marks the pinnacle of achievement. To ensure the dignity and solemnity of this occasion, please be mindful of the following:
Rockhurst's Code of Conduct applies at the Commencement/Hooding/Pinning Ceremony.
Graduating students, please be respectful of your fellow graduates by staying for the entire ceremony.
- The use of alcohol and controlled substances is prohibited at campus celebration events and in the Municipal Auditorium. Students who appear to have been drinking excessively or are under the influence will be refused admission or asked to leave the event.
- No food or drink will be permitted in the line-up area. You may not leave personal belongings in the line-up area. Please give your items to your family or friends. Rockhurst University is not responsible for items left in this area.
- Guests should arrive in time to be seated in the arena before the procession begins, preferably one hour before the ceremony's scheduled start time. Please do not visit the graduates on the lower level.
- Late guests will not be allowed to enter the area during the procession. Late arrivals will be able to enter at appropriate intervals during the ceremony.
- Guest seating is first come, first seated.
- You may not have professional photographers or video personnel at the ceremony. During the procession and the ceremony, family, and friends are not allowed in the auditorium seating area designated for graduates.
- Mute or silence cell phones, pagers, and similar devices during the ceremony.
- Balloons of any kind and noise-makers are prohibited.
Programs
Several years ago, the Rockhurst University Student Senate passed a measure to reduce paper on campus as part of the campus green initiative that flows from the Jesuit value of caring for our common home. This calls us to take measures to care for and protect our planet. As part of this initiative, graduation programs are electronic. QR codes will be posted in the Convocation Center and at Municipal Auditorium to access an electronic version of the program. We will also post the program on our website after the ceremony for those who wish to have a printed copy.
Hawk Walk
Following Commencement, students will process out of the Municipal Auditorium and be part of our annual graduation tradition, Hawk Walk, to KC Live! in the Power and Light District, 13 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri. Graduates will process down 13th St. in a Rock E. Hawk and bagpipe-led parade to the KC Live stage. At the KC Live stage, there will be a short welcome program and the OFFICIAL cap toss with Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., president of Rockhurst University, and members of the Young Alumni Council.
Family and friends are invited to join us on our walk.
After the program, there will be fun photo-booth opportunities, music, and food and drink specials. Congratulations, HAWKS, you did it!
Parking
On campus: The parking garage is also located on Troost Avenue between Rockhurst Road and 51st, closer to the Convocation Center and Saint Francis Xavier Church. For further assistance, please refer to our campus map.
Downtown Kansas City: Municipal Auditorium is at 301 W 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105. Please allow yourself plenty of time to find parking. For further information on parking near the Municipal, please click here.
Power and Light*: The KC Live! garage offers free daytime parking for up to three hours with validation from any Power & Light District merchant between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday). Weekend rates vary.
*Parking rates are subject to change based on special events / T-Mobile Center events.
Future Ceremony Dates
ALL degree levels and disciplines are honored in the same Commencement Ceremony. Dates/times/locations are all subject to change.
Graduates will be honored in the following Commencement Ceremonies:
- 2026: Saturday, May 09, 2026, 1 p.m.
- 2027: TBA
Graduation Mass, hooding and pinning ceremonies for 2026 will be announced at a later date.