Q. What has the power to turn a tranquil grassy amphitheater into a pounding, pulsing epicenter of energy, noise and spirit? Of “Oooaaah, oooaaah!” and “MHC! MHC!”
A. Convocation.
Mount Holyoke’s loudest tradition of the academic year is all about celebration — and shouting for joy in the company of your class, rain or shine.
Mount Holyoke's Convocation has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, at 10 am in Gettell Amphitheater.
Download the 2025 Convocation Program
The Five College West African Music Ensemble
Faith Conant, Visiting Instructor in Music; Director of the Five College West African Music Ensemble
Guest lead drummer: Michael Ofori, Lecturer in Film Media Theater
Sally Durdan ’81, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Danielle R. Holley, President
Nathania Amadi ’26, on behalf of students
Angelica Patterson, Curator of Education and Outreach, Miller Worley Center for the Environment, on behalf of staff
Mount Holyoke Convocation Choir
Colin Britt, Lecturer in Music; Director of Choral Activities
“I. we have come”
From Behind the Caravan: Songs of Hâfez (Abbie Betinis)
Olivia Aguilar, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Leslie and Sarah Miller Director of the Miller Worley Center for the Environment
Danielle R. Holley
Mount Holyoke Convocation Choir
Words: Gertrude Brady Murphy, class of 1914
Music: Gladys Pratt, class of 1914
(lyrics below)
The Five College West African Music Ensemble
Oh, Mount Holyoke, we pay thee devotion,
In the fervor of youth that is strong,
The courage of right is thy garland,
Our lives, Alma Mater, thy song.
So from east and from west now we gather,
And united in firm love to thee,
All years are as one, and their loyal pledge,
Mount Holyoke forever shall be,
Mount Holyoke forever shall be.
Thro’ the heart of a new day’s endeavor,
Breathes the life of the old days that live,
For what thou hast given we honor,
But we love thee for what we can give.
So when soft in a whisper thou callest,
For the treasures unlocked by thy key,
Our achievements, our hopes, and our glorious faith
Shall answer, Mount Holyoke, to thee,
Shall answer, Mount Holyoke, to thee.
Words: Gertrude Brady Murphy, class of 1914 | Music: Gladys Pratt, class of 1914
It's about welcoming the new first-year students, cheering on the graduating class and loving on all those in between! It begins with a procession, the faculty lead the way in full regalia. Students dress in their class color, seniors wear their gowns for the first time (without caps and hoods).
Convocation marks the official start to the school year and, as such, includes remarks from the chair or vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, the president of the College, a faculty member, a staff representative and the president of the Student Government Association.
Convocation is a chance to highlight community accomplishments, points of pride, initiatives and goals. And it’s an opportunity to enjoy performances by the Mount Holyoke Convocation Choir and the Five College West African Music Ensemble.
As notable as the events on the amphitheater stage may be, the real action arguably unfolds within the stands. Here, Convocation is a visual and sensory delight of the class colors.
Throngs of students come laden with boas, beads, flowers, capes, body paint, pompoms, glitter, bubbles, Silly String, tiaras, luau skirts, blow-up friends (kangaroo, dinosaur, pizza slice, etc.), hats, wigs, signs and more.
Convocation, like the College itself, has transformed over the years. What began in 1931 as a “special service” — a buttoned-up affair in the Abbey Chapel featuring an address by the president and the announcement of student awards — has evolved into a rousing bookend to Commencement. This highly anticipated tradition both ushers in the new academic year and brings the classes, faculty and staff together.
As Convocation helps you see, feel and believe, you are part of a community that is driven to achieve, lead and succeed — and to raise one another up. To shake things up and to make good things happen. This is your College. This is your time. Welcome to Mount Holyoke College!
Happening at Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke’s annual Convocation filled the campus with color, spirit and celebration as students in vivid class colors gathered to cheer and mark the official start of the academic year with tradition and decibels.
This year, Convocation celebrated the start of the Mount Holyoke College academic year and the 10-year anniversary of its inclusive admission policy.
Fall 2022 Move-in and Convocation at Mount Holyoke noisily and joyfully marked the beginning of the 2022–2023 academic year and students’ continuing intellectual adventures.
