The Commencement ceremony takes place on Beachem Portico on Sunday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m. Where is Beachem Portico and why is it called that?

The portico on the north side of Pennsylvania Hall is properly known as the Beachem Portico, erected with funds given by the alumni association and dedicated to the memory of the college's first alumni secretary, Charles W. Beachem. Gettysburg College’s alumni association is among the oldest in the nation and particularly notable for having been formed within three years of the founding of the college. The Alumni Association of Pennsylvania College (as it was then known) was founded on commencement day, September 16, 1835. There were eleven initial members, the graduates of 1834 and 1835.

The plaque on the portico reads: “1837-1937/ This portico dedicated in loving memory of Charles W. Beachem Class of 1925, first alumni secretary 1929-1937, on the 100th anniversary of ‘Old Dorm’/-- the Alumni Association of Gettysburg College”