Please note: Academic departments are holding receptions on Saturday, May 16. For more information, see the “Academic Departments & Programs Receptions” tab.
7–9 a.m. | Breakfast for Students
Cutter/Ziskind, King/Scales, Chase/Duckett, Tyler, and Dawes
8 a.m. | Sophomore Push meeting
Outside President’s House
8 a.m. | Junior Ushers assemble
Admission Office parking spaces
10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Smith College Bookstore open
8 Green Street
Ivy Day Activities
Guests should be seated by 9 a.m. if they wish to view the Alumnae Parade. Any guests that arrive after the beginning of the parade will be held at the door until the parade has finished.
In the event of rain, the Alumnae Parade, Alumnae Awards Presentation and Ivy Day Awards Convocation will be held in the Indoor Track and Tennis Facility (ITT). The signal for such a change in venue will be the ringing of the college bells at 8 a.m. The doors of the ITT will open at that time. Seniors should enter the main lobby of the ITT through the glass doors and will be instructed where to pick up their roses and line up. Junior Ushers should assemble in the ITT by the overhead door. Alumnae will march through the double line of seniors and past the reviewing stand before being seated. The senior class, led by the junior ushers, will then follow.
8:45 a.m. | Seniors assemble
President’s House, front
Roses will be distributed to seniors. Seniors will then form two lines along the driveway, across Paradise Road and up to the Emerson House archway in preparation for the Alumnae Parade and Ivy Day procession. Seniors should wear all-white attire and dark shoes. Please be on time.
Order of Exercises
8:45 a.m. | Alumnae Parade Assembly
Chapin Drive, between the Campus Center and College Lane
9:15 a.m. | Alumnae Parade
Led by the Festival Band, alumnae march toward the president’s house and the quadrangle, through the double lines of the senior class. Alumnae proceed through the Emerson House archway, around the quadrangle and past the reviewing stand on Martha Wilson House steps. Junior ushers follow the alumnae through the lines of seniors, leading the seniors into the quadrangle and past the reviewing stand.
Senior Class Procession
Following the route of the alumnae, the senior class will be led by the junior ushers carrying the ivy chain into the quadrangle, past the reviewing stand, and will then be seated.
10 a.m. | Invocation
The Quadrangle
10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Neilson Library Memory Booth
Neilson Library, first floor
Where was your favorite place to study? Funniest memory? Best day with your friends? The most important thing you learned? Stop by the Memory Booth and record a memory of your time at Smith.
11 a.m.–1 p.m. | Tote Lunch
Julia McWilliams Child Campus Center, Garden Lounge lower level
For seniors and remaining students on campus. Parents and guests may purchase lunches online.
11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Smith College Museum of Art Open Hours
Smith College Museum of Art
Drop by the Smith College Museum of Art to explore the galleries, connect with museum staff, and enjoy a range of exhibitions: Don’t Mind If I Do, Crafting Worlds: Japanese Decorative Arts from the 18th through 21st Centuries, and People and Stories. You can also revisit longtime favorites in ongoing installations Worlds in Process: Art from the SCMA Collection and The Ancient World Gallery.
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Athletics and ESS Open House
Ainsworth Gymnasium 151, Ainsworth level 1 entrance hallway
All ESS graduates and ESS minors, as well as current and past athletes, are invited to stop by to visit with ESS faculty and Athletics coaching and administrative staff.
12–1 p.m. | Multicultural Family Brunch
Davis Center Ballroom
Invitation only. This event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
1–3 p.m. | POSSE Scholars Graduation Celebration
Skyline Reading Room, Neilson Library, fourth floor
A celebration for the POSSE Scholars and their families. Invite-only.
1–4 p.m. | Friends of the Smith College Libraries Welcome Table
Neilson Library, first floor
Visit for Librry swag, water bottles, and information about services for alums, the Friends of the Smith College Libraries, and the Oculus Society.
1–4:45 p.m. | Special Collections Open House
Special Collections Reading Room, Neilson Library, 3rd floor
Explore unique materials from the College Archives, Mortimer Rare Book Collection, and Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History. Hourly staff tours of the closed stacks, exhibit displays, and Special Collections reunion swag!
2 p.m. | Celebrations Dance Company’s Annual Commencement Concert
Scott Dance Studio
Performance by Celebrations, Smith’s oldest student-run dance company, showcasing student choreography and performance. Donations accepted.
2–4 p.m. | Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center Open House
Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Neilson Library
Learn about the dynamic and globally relevant financial education, innovation, and entrepreneurship programming offered by the Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center. Family-friendly activities and snacks available for visitors of all ages.
2:30–4 p.m. | Residence Life Reception
Clark Hall, conference room and porch
A reception for student staff members and house presidents, seniors, and their families, as well as alums who have served in these roles.
3–4 p.m. | Ivy Day Bellringing
Mendenhall Bell Tower
The Smith College bell-ringers will ring for an hour on Ivy Day to celebrate the class of 2026. The ringing will be audible near the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts on Green Street.
3–4 p.m. | “Women in Community: Joy & Resilience in the Archive”
Klingenstein Browsing Room, Neilson Library
Explore the rich history of women coming together in community in the Sophia Smith Collection. In the streets and on the playing fields, in the conference room and on the concert stage, Sophia Smith Collection Archivist Mariana Brandman will share the renowned collection’s firsthand accounts of women creating their own space for advocacy, connection, and merriment across more than two centuries.
3–4:30 p.m. | Botanic Garden Open House
Lyman Plant House and Conservatory
Drop in to Lyman Plant House and Conservatory to explore the collections, meet staff, and experience the Botanic Garden’s latest exhibition Koanbanchinemma (do you see the light (in me)), created in partnership with six Nipmuc artists and cultural stewards.
3–5 p.m. | Smith Crew Boathouse Open House and Reception
Connecticut River Boathouse, Sportsman’s Marina, 1 Russell Street, Hadley, Mass.
All Smith crew alumnae, team members, and families are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. No shuttle service.
3:30–5 p.m. | Smith College Historic Clothing Collection Open House
Theatre T15, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, basement level
Explore this research archive of women’s clothing in the basement of Mendenhall. The cabinets will be open and examples of garments and accessories will be out on view.
The collection was founded by Beth Pfaltz Welsh ’79 and is now in its 46th year. Students from all parts of the curriculum serve as interns and research assistants. A course, “Reading” Dress: Archival Studies of Clothing,” is taught each fall. Items are selected from the collection for research and presentation at an exhibit at the end of the course.
The book Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore was published in 2023. An exhibition with selections of pieces illustrated in the book ran for nine months at the New York Historical Museum from 2024 to 2025.
4–5 p.m. | 12-Step Recovery Program Meeting
Wright Hall 002
Open to all.
4–5 p.m. | Service of Remembrance
Helen Hills Hills Chapel
A multifaith memorial service for reflecting, remembering, and celebrating the lives of those who have died, focusing on Smith alums who have passed on since the last reunion. All are welcome.
5–6 p.m. | Commencement Choral Concert
Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall
The Smith College Glee Club and Chamber Singers present works chosen by members of the senior class.
5–7 p.m. | Dinner for Students
Chase/Duckett and Dawes
For seniors and all students remaining on campus.
7:45 p.m. | Junior Ushers meeting
Admission Office parking spaces
8 p.m. | Senior Class Candle-Lighting Ceremony
Paradise Pond lawn, between the President’s House and Office of Admission
8:15 p.m. | Sophomore Push meeting
In front of Seelye Hall
8:30 p.m. | Sophomore Push/Senior Step Sing
Seelye Hall steps
8:30–10 p.m. | Ada Comstock Illumination Night Celebration
Boutelle-Day Poetry Center, Wright Hall 102
8:30–10 p.m. | Illumination of Upper Campus
Rain location: Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center
Live music by the Jay Messer Quintet. All are welcome to walk through campus and enjoy this Smith College tradition.
