Graduation Information
Date, Place, and Time
Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 10:30 a.m.
ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem
Doors open at 9:45 a.m.
Tickets will be required for each guest who will be attending the ceremony. Seating at the venue will be on a first-come first-served basis.
The commencement ceremony will be live streamed via YouTube starting at 10:30 a.m.
Ticket Information
Tickets will be required for each guest who will be attending the ceremony. Each graduate will receive a set number of tickets, which can be picked up at the bookstore on the Lehigh Valley campus during graduate cap and gown pickup prior to commencement.
Venue Details
Valet parking will be offered by ArtsQuest. Directions and alternative parking options are available on the ArtsQuest website >>
Ceremony Information
Commencement is a time of celebration and reflection. Come to the ceremony with these thoughts in mind, and help to make this a special occasion for the graduates and for the community of family and friends who gather to join in the celebration. Please honor the significance and the dignity of the occasion. Remember to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices.
2020 Keynote Commencement Speaker
Charles W. Dent, former U.S representative and Penn State alumnus, will be the featured speaker at Penn State Lehigh Valley’s 2020 commencement ceremony.
Dent, of Allentown, serves as a political contributor for CNN; is a senior policy adviser at DLA Piper; and is the former representative of the 15th District of Pennsylvania to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served seven terms. Drawing on his diversified experience and background, Dent provides strategic advice and counsel to clients on the federal, state and local level on a variety of issues. Dent also serves as a distinguished adviser for the PEW Charitable Trusts and a visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House.
He earned a bachelor of arts degree in foreign service and international politics from Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts in 1982 and a master's degree in public administration from Lehigh University in 1993.
Dent was the recipient of the Friend of Penn State Legislative Award in 2016 for the significant role he has played in the continued improvement of Penn State. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019, which is the University’s highest honor presented to its alumni, after being selected by the Penn State Board of Trustees.
Photography
Each graduate will be photographed as they receive their degree on stage from Dr. Richardson. Our photographer is Dan Johnson of Dan Z. Johnson Photography and he will be taking various candid shots before, during, and after the ceremony. All photographs will be available for purchase directly from him through his website.