The Commencement Ceremony
Congregational church where the ceremony was held, 1877 (Stearns History Museum)
Stearns House, where the normal school's first classes were held, 1869-1884 (SCSU Archives)
City of St. Cloud, with Stearns House (3) and the Congregational Church (12) labeled, 1869 (SCSU Archives)
Students' pledge to teach for two years in Minnesota, 1869 (SCSU Archives)
For the first 15 graduates of the Third State Normal School, June 30, 1871 marked the culmination of two years' work. Of the graduates, 14 entered with the school's first students in September 1869. The ceremony on that hot June day began with Scripture reading and prayer, followed by a series of oral examinations of the students on physical geography, history, and astronomy in the presence of the president of the State Normal Board, the resident director, the principal, the public, and the local press. During the afternoon, exams were conducted in school law, geometry, and botany.
That evening, the commencement ceremony was held in the Congregational Church on Fifth Avenue South, which still stands today. Only 150 of the parents and dignitaries fit inside, and an overflow crowd stood on the lawn during the ceremony.
The program began with an invocation and music. The State Normal Board president offered an address. Dressed in suits or long dresses and long-sleeved blouses with heavy hats, 10 of the graduates read culminating essays by the light of the oil lamps. One can imagine how uncomfortable and nervous they must have felt. After the conferring of degrees by Principal Ira Moore, the ceremony ended with a song and final prayer and benediction.
Walking out of the ceremony, one graduate recalled, “I turned and waved farewell to old familiar haunts.” She added, “I felt all of life was open to me and I could tread paths with a firm and reliant tread.” All but one of the graduates fulfilled their pledge to teach in Minnesota for two years. While following diverse paths, each made a mark on the people and communities they touched.
To learn what the coursework was like for these students, click the following links to view the course catalogues for the 1869-1870 and 1870-1871 academic years. See below for additional sources on the community, the school, and the commencement ceremony.
