Commencement Ceremonies Celebrate Class of 2023

Though they looked much different than in past years, the Class of 2023 brought the same passion and excitement to their graduation festivities.

The Carlson School joined colleges and schools from across the UMN Twin Cities campus to celebrate commencement on Friday and Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. 

This year’s graduating class included:

• 727 undergraduates receiving Bachelor of Science in Business degrees.
• 555 graduate students from 15 programs, including Full-Time, Part-Time, Online, and Executive MBA; Global Executive MBA (China and Vienna); Global Medical Industry MBA; Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations; Master of Business Taxation; Master of Accountancy; Master of Science in Business Analytics; Master of Applied Business Analytics; Master of Marketing; Master of Science in Finance, and Master of Science in Supply Chain Management.
• 11 doctoral students receiving PhD degrees in business administration.

Two ceremonies were held: one for graduate and doctoral students on May 12 and one for undergraduate students on May 13. The events took place at Huntington Bank Stadium while 3M Arena at Mariucci, the traditional venue for the Carlson School commencement, is under renovation. 

The graduate and doctoral ceremony featured keynote speaker Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, while Stéphane Bancel, the founding CEO of the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna, headlined the undergraduate ceremony.

Carlson School students also joined pre-commencement receptions before their respective ceremonies. For undergraduate students, that included the annual Farewelcome Celebration on Friday night. During the event, Zeke Jackson was awarded the Tomato Can Loving Cup Award, the most prestigious award the Carlson School bestows on an undergraduate student. 

Students were also able to schedule individual stage-crossing opportunities at various locations and times leading up to and immediately after the ceremonies.