Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Cal State Long Beach’s end-of-the-school-year celebrations got underway at Angel Stadium on Monday, May 16 — and marking an historic milestone for the university.
CSULB will honor nearly 12,000 graduates across multiple commencement ceremonies this week. That makes it the largest graduating class in CSULB’s history, the university has said.
The university opened in 1949.
The commencement ceremonies began Monday morning with the College of Engineering. The colleges of Education and Liberal Arts also took place on Monday.
For the second consecutive year, however, the graduations are taking place at Angel Stadium and without the traditional rite of students walking across a stage to receive their diplomas as their names are called.
Instead, graduates must wait until after the official ceremonies. Smaller stages are set up outside the stadium, in Anaheim, on which the students can pose for photos as their names are announced.
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Jeremiah Wright, civil engineering graduate and proud Angels fan alongside his girlfriend, Julianna Adelman and his dog Nitro following the commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Families cheer on their graduates during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Family surrounds Nathaniel Hakan Martinez, engineering graduates, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Rose Bulquerin waves at her daughter during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Ishmel Albert hugs a friend after the commencement ceremony for the College of Engineering, from Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
L-R Taylor Thomsen and Keith Naqvi take a selfie during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates enter the stadium, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Olivia Lydick plays a game of Animal Crossing on her Nintendo Switch, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Jeremiah Wright, civil engineering graduate and proud Angels fan was so excited to walk the tunnel on his way to the commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Engineering graduates celebrate, during the 73rd commencement ceremony for Cal State Long Beach, held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Monday, May 16, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
That quirk was added last year because of the coronavirus pandemic — after the 2020 commencement ceremonies were canceled outright — and the need to limit how many people were in the stadium.
CSULB officials, when announcing the format in January, said they wanted to be prudent given the realities of the pandemic — with the region and country, at the time, enduring another winter surge.
This year, though, CSULB is allowing up to 10 guests per graduate inside the stadium. Last year, friends and family had to watch from giant television screens in the parking lot.
CSULB officials have also expressed excitement about repeating what they said were successful 2021 commencement ceremonies at Angel Stadium.
“With a historic graduating class size, the university is excited to build off last year’s Beach takeover of the Angel Stadium of Anaheim,” CSULB said in a press release. “The in-person ceremony is designed to fill and empty the entire stadium seven times over two and a half days.”
It would have been difficult to see any trace of the pandemic’s lingering consequences during Monday’s ceremonies.
There were no masks. Students sat shoulder-to-shoulder. They hugged each other and crowded together for selfies.
Families and parents cheered from the stands, and then met their graduates outside the stadium to take pictures on the smaller stages.
The colleges of Arts, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, and Business will hold their commencement ceremonies on Tuesday, May 17.
The College of Health & Human Services will have its ceremony on Wednesday morning, May 18.
Sign up for The Localist, our daily email newsletter with handpicked stories relevant to where you live. Subscribe here.
