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Commencement
Elisabeth Haub School of Law 47th Annual Commencement 2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 9:30 a.m.
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Louis Armstrong Stadium
For more information, visit the 2024 Commencement Website
Watch the 2024 Commencement Ceremony
Honorary Degree Recipients
2024
Hon. Rowan D. Wilson
Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)
As chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the Honorable Rowan D. Wilson leads New York’s highest court and oversees the state’s entire court system. He was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul and confirmed by the State Senate as chief judge in April 2023 after serving as an associate judge on the court since February 2017.
Chief Judge Wilson was born in Pomona, California, and grew up in Berkeley, California. He received his AB degree from Harvard College in 1981, and his JD degree from Harvard Law School in 1984. He was admitted to the bar of the State of California in 1985, and the bar of the State of New York in 1987. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, California. In 1986, he joined the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City as an associate, and was elected to partnership there in 1991, in which position he continued until February 2017. His practice encompassed a wide variety of matters, including antitrust, intellectual property, securities and common-law fraud, contract, labor and employment, civil rights and first amendment issues, and he rose to become the firm’s first partner of color.
On January 15, 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo nominated Judge Wilson to serve as an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, and the New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on February 6, 2017. On April 10, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Judge Wilson to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York, breaking barriers as the first person of color in this role. The New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on April 18, 2023. While in private practice, Judge Wilson served on the boards of several charitable and not-for-profit organizations and handled numerous pro bono matters.
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2023
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Doctor of Laws (LLD)Professor Bruce H. Mann, MPhil, JD, PhD
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2022
Congresswoman Grace Meng
Doctor of Laws (LLD)
2021
Hon. Philip M. Halpern '80
U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)
2019
Benjamin Tucker
First Deputy Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)Liliane A. Haub
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2018
Judge Robert Keating
Doctor of Laws (LLD)Eric Gonzalez
District Attorney, Kings County
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2017
Roberta Kaplan
Partner, Litigation, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2016
Eric Schneiderman
Attorney General, State of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2015
Preet Bharara
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2014
Hon. Robert A. Katzmann
Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2013
Hon. Malachy E. Mannion
Chief United States Magistrate Judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2012
Andrew L. Carter, Jr.
US District Judge for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2011
Jonathan Lippman
State of New York Chief Judge
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2010
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2009
Nina Totenberg
Legal Affairs Correspondent, National Public Radio (NPR)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2008
Hon. Theodore T. Jones, Jr.
Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2007
Hon. Margaret A. Ryan
Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2006
Larry D. Thompson, Esq.
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary, PepsiCo Inc.
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2005
Mark Malloch Brown
Chief of Staff to the Secretary General, United Nations (UN)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2004
Raymond W. Kelly
Police Commissioner, City of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2003
Hon. Sonia Sotomayor
Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals-Second Circuit
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2002
Hon. Mary Jo White
United States Attorney, Southern District of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)2001
Jay C. Carlisle II
Professor of Law, Pace Law School2000
Janet Reno
United States Attorney General
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1999
Anthony Kronman
Dean, Yale Law School
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1998
Hon. Guido Calabresi
Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals-Second Circuit
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1997
Drew S. Days III
Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law, Yale Law School
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1997
Peter Basil Carter
QC, Emeritus Fellow, Wadham College, Oxford
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1996
Derrick A. Bell Jr.
Visiting Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1995
The Right Honourable Gordon Slynn, Baron Slynn of Hadley, GBE, PC, QC
Member of the House of Lords, Parliament of the United Kingdom
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1994
Hon. Joseph W. Bellacosa
Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1994
John Joseph Cronin
Hudson Riverkeeper
Juris Doctor (JD)1993
Bernie Grant
Member of the House of Commons, Parliament of the United Kingdom
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1992
Hon. Sol Wachtler
Chief Judge, State of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1991
Hon. Robert Abrams
Attorney General of the State of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1990
Hon. Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Senator for New York
Medal of Honor1990
Oleg Stephanovich Kolbasov
Deputy Director, Institute of State and Law of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1989
Mario M. Cuomo
Governor of the State of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1988
Elliot L. Richardson
Partner, Milbank Tweed Hadley and McCloy LLP
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1988
Wolfgang Burhenne
Chairman of the Commission on Environmental Policy, Law, and Administration of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Bonn)
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1987
Hon. Charles L. Brieant
Chief Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1986
Hon. Fritz W. Alexander III
Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1985
Hon. Judith S. Kaye
Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1985
Michael L. Rovello
Supervisor, Town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, New York
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1985
Hon. Edward D. Re
Chief Judge, United States Court of International Trade
Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD)1984
Edward J. Mortola
President of Pace University
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1984
John C. Haley
Executive Vice President, Chase Manhattan Bank; and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pace University
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1983
Hon. Warren E. Burger
Chief Justice of the United States
Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD)1982
Orville H. Schell, Jr., Esq.
Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1982
Hon. James D. Hopkins
Acting Dean, Pace Law School
Justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division-Second Judicial Department
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1981
Robert B. McKay, Esq.
Director, Institute of Judicial Administration and Senior Fellow, Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1980
Hon. Lawrence H. Cooke
Chief Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Doctor of Laws (LLD)1979
Hon. William H. Mulligan
Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals-Second Circuit
Doctor of Laws (LLD)
Information for Graduates
Please note the important deadlines below for students attending commencement and plan ahead!
The exact dates for registration, regalia and photos will be updated as information becomes available for Commencement 2025.
1. Apply for Graduation
Deadline: Monday, July 22, 2024
More Information about graduation requirements can be found on the Office of the Registrar webpage.
2. Register to Attend and Request Tickets for Commencement
Deadline: TBD April 2025
All graduating students will receive an email from “MarchingOrder” — the University system used to distribute commencement tickets and to display your name during commencement. You must register to attend and request tickets for your guests on the MarchingOrder site. The information you provide will serve as your “GradPass” and be used to display your name and pronunciation as you process on stage.
3. Order Graduation Regalia (cap and gown)
Deadline: TBD April 2025
All students participating in commencement are required to wear law school regalia, so please plan ahead for this purchase via Herff Jones. The cost for renting apparel (including cap, tassel, gown, and Doctorate JD hood) is approximately $113.35 per person and it will be shipped to you. The tassel is yours to keep.
4. Register for Graduation Photos
Session Dates: TBD March–April 2025, on campus
Haub Law graduates are invited for professional and graduation portraits each year. There is a $10 sitting fee for the portraits. Students are charged only for their individual picture order if they choose to purchase the portraits. Students should come in business attire; graduation attire is available for the photos.
Questions?
Many questions about the schedule, location and what to expect can be answered on the university’s commencement site. We strongly encourage you to review the FAQ on the Pace University website.
- For information about the commencement venue, tickets or accessibility, please submit a helpdesk ticket.
- For questions about renting your cap and gown, email Herff Jones.
- For questions about commencement registration or commencement portraits, email Angie D'Agostino, Dean for Students.
- For all other questions, please email Rachael Silva, Assistant Dean for External Affairs.