A river of green filled Matthew Knight Arena on Monday as thousands of graduates and their cheering families poured in to celebrate the change from students to alumni.
The now-traditional Duck Walk down East 13th Avenue gave graduates a chance to show off their home-decorated mortarboards and gowns, flash a few Os and enjoy the cheering crowd lining the street. Afterward, lawns and auditoriums across campus began to fill and schools, departments and programs held individual ceremonies for their graduates.
Interim UO President Scott Coltrane, in one of his last ceremonial acts before returning to his position as provost, sent the Class of 2015 out into their next adventure, telling them “the world needs you to be problem solvers.” American singer Peter Hollens, a UO graduate and co-founder of the male a cappella group On the Rocks, also spoke at the ceremony.
Check out the photo album with this story to see some snapshots from the day’s celebrations. More pictures are on the commencement Storify page.