Black Excellence Celebratory

Join us for the Black Excellence Student Success Celebration, one of several “success celebrations” that serve as a special rite of passage honoring the achievements of students from various cultures, heritages, and geographical areas of the world.

Along with inspiring speeches and individual recognition of each graduate, we will honor customs and traditions that influenced our graduates’ background and values. The program celebrates undergraduate and graduate students who have completed their degree in Summer or Fall 2024 or will complete their degree in Winter or Summer 2025 from Oakland University.

This event is open to everyone in the campus community. The University encourages all graduating students to participate, and all participating students will be recognized and receive a celebratory stole.

Students must apply to graduate to participate in the Black Excellence Celebratory. For more information on applying to graduate, please visit oakland.edu/commencement.

2025 Event Details

Sunday, April 13, 2025
Oakland Center Ballrooms | 3 p.m. (Doors open at 2:30 p.m.)

The Kente

Kente is native to Ghana and was developed in the 17th century by the Ashanti people. It has its roots in a long tradition of African weaving, dating back to about 3000 B.C. Often reserved for royalty, the stole is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religious beliefs, social values and political thoughts.