Rochester celebrates the achievements of the Class of 2026 throughout Commencement Weekend, starting Friday, May 15. From a schedule of events and where to park, to tickets and registration, live broadcast details, and department ceremonies, here’s your guide on what to expect for both graduates and attendees.

University flags on the Eastman Quadrangle and near the entrance of Strong Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department, and the flags atop the Eastman Theatre at the corner of Gibbs and Main Streets, will be lowered on Tuesday, May 26, for Jordan Downs, a registered nurse in the Department of Imaging Sciences at Strong Memorial Hospital, who died on April 15. Downs joined the University in 2010.

Have quick questions about the University’s retirement program, or need help enrolling online? Stop by the Sarah Flaum Atrium at the School of Medicine and Dentistry on Thursday, May 14, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, where a TIAA representative will be available to chat.

In Well-U’s Managing Your Weight program, join like-minded people to find support, accountability, motivation, and success in decreasing your body weight. Enroll here for sessions starting on Wednesday, May 20, at 5 p.m. and earn your $150 incentive.

Registration is open for the summer and fall Conflict Transformation Series, sponsored by the Office of University Engagement and Enrichment and led by the Restorative Practices team. This interactive, three-session workshop series will equip you with practical tools for transforming conflict into constructive dialogue and collaboration. Participants are encouraged to enroll with a colleague.

Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence on Tuesday, May 12, from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in Sloan Auditorium for the talk “Integrating Computational Social Science and Time Series: Evidence From COVID-19 Image Sentiment Classification in the US News Media,” with Andrew Philips, an associate professor and the Henry W. Ehrmann Professor in Law and Jurisprudence in the Department of Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. Learn more.

The United Way campaign wraps up on May 13, and University leadership thanks the many department champions and the thousands of donors who have supported this year’s effort. There is still time to donate, as online pledging will be available through May 31. Interested in becoming a volunteer in the community in addition to pledging? Learn how to get involved here.

CNN, May 8

Adam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, discusses the recent Pentagon release of what it says are “never-before-seen” files detailing UFOs.

Frank also authored a piece for The Atlantic (gift link) on the topic.