Pomp and circumstance: 1,400+ new Tiger stripes earned by this weekend

Towson University will have about 1,400 more alumni this weekend.

With extra pomp and circumstance infused in this 150th anniversary year, students from all six academic colleges will don caps and gowns and receive their degrees in Thursday and Friday commencement exercises at SECU Arena.

On Thursday, graduates from the College of Health Professions and the College of Business and Economics will cross the stage at 10 a.m., followed by those from Fisher College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Liberal Arts at 3 p.m.

Friday is the day for graduates from the College of Education and the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

The occasions, overwhelmingly, mark the end of a rite of passage as well as academics. More than 1,200 of the grads will claim their bachelor’s degrees and end their once-in-a-lifetime college experience. The university will confer master’s degrees to 211, and doctorates to nine.

For every graduate, this will be a singular experience. For those who have attended many Towson University commencements, the energy will be a welcome reminder of what it means to achieve here.

Anyone who has been to a TU commencement ceremony knows the special energy of the moment when, somehow, everyone in the audience gets to stand: graduates’ parents, grandparents, and siblings; military veterans; Towson alumni; friends. Suddenly it’s a standing ovation and it’s difficult to know who’s celebrating whom.

We’ll be celebrating with you. Here’s to the class of 2015 – Tigers forever!