Alumni Marshals
Alumni Aids and Marshals are invited to volunteer at Commencement and Alumni Day to help with the day's festivities. Some tasks of an Alumni Marshal include welcoming guests at the Harvard Yard gates, directing families to their seats, clearing pathways for academic processions, gathering alumni to line up for the Alumni Parade, and leading their groups—whether from reunions or graduate schools—into Tercentenary Theatre to their reserved seats.
If you accept the invitation and register online, you will be assigned to a group led by members of Harvard's Committee for the Happy Observance of Commencement (also known as "the Happy Committee") and more detailed instructions about your assignment will be emailed in mid-May.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please check in at Volunteer Headquarters located in Harvard Hall, next to Johnston Gate, before you report to duty. There you will receive your materials and instructions for the day, as well as coffee, water, and snacks.
You will need the Yard Pass mailed to you in May. This will serve as your ticket for the day and will grant you access to Harvard Yard.
Alumni Marshals should be easily identifiable. In addition to wearing a nametag (provided by the HAA), marshals are able to select between two attire options.
Option one: Anyone is welcome to rent regalia. The regalia attire is a dark cutaway coat, weskit, silk top hat, and white tie which can be rented through the HAA. Please note that white shirts and white ties are not included in the rentals.
Option two: Marshals may wear an all-black outfit (example: pants/skirt and a shirt or a dress) and purchase a crimson rosette which serves as an alumni marshal identifier. Anyone may purchase a rosette or wear a fascinator or another type of fashionable hat.
You may submit an order for regalia or purchase a rosette through the Alumni Marshal Regalia and Rosette order form.
Should you wish to purchase regalia, you may contact FormalWear Ltd. in Waltham, MA directly at 781-899-5727. Ask for Jim McElroy.
You may pick up your rented regalia on the first floor of Harvard Hall in the Old Yard during the following dates and times:
Wednesday, May 27: 1:00-6:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 28 (Commencement): Beginning at 6:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 4: 4:00-7:00p.m.
Friday, June 5 (Harvard Alumni Day): Beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Rosettes are only available for pick up on the morning of Commencement and Harvard Alumni Day.
Rented regalia can be returned to the first floor of Harvard Hall by 3:00 p.m. on May 28 unless you have rented it to marshal on Harvard Alumni Day.
If you rented regalia for Harvard Alumni Day, regalia can be dropped off by 4:00 p.m. on June 5.
You may leave your clothes and personal items in Harvard Hall when you check in for your marshaling duties. Please note that we do not have a coat check and there is no secure room. The HAA is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. Please be aware that all persons, bags, and personal items are subject to inspection before entering Harvard Yard. No backpacks of any type will be admitted. No bag or item larger than 12"x12"x12" will be permitted inside the Yard.
While we strongly encourage taking public transportation, there is parking for those who choose to drive to campus. For more information, please visit the Commencement Parking website.
Established in 1869, the Committee for the Happy Observance of Commencement, also known as the Happy Committee, consists of enthusiastic alumni who lend their institutional knowledge and celebratory spirit to help organize and direct alumni volunteers primarily on Commencement and Harvard Alumni Day each spring, in addition to welcoming College freshman during Convocation in the fall.
In collaboration with the HAA Volunteer Leadership team, the Happy Committee is responsible for a variety of activities during Commencement and Harvard Alumni Day, including path-clearing during the procession and parades, seating in Tercentenary Theatre, providing general direction and information-sharing in the Yard, as well as assisting at luncheons and warmly welcoming guests at the gates.
The dedicated support, experience, and leadership of the Happy Committee plays a vital role in the success of these celebratory occasions. The Happy Committee is unique in that it relies heavily on institutional memory of a complex process which occurs annually.
We celebrate your interest in serving as an alumni marshal for Commencement and congratulations to your child! Based off feedback from prior years, many parents prefer participating in Commencement festivities as a spectator in full parent mode as marshaling assignments are based on where help is most needed in and around the Yard. Understanding that you will be expected to carry out these assignments during the morning exercises, please let us know if you are still interested in participating.
Registration for reunions opens in late March and further information can be found at: https://alumni.harvard.edu/reunions/register.
Unfortunately, at this time we cannot accommodate housing for marshals.
Yes! Your marshal assignment allows you to be with your class.