University of New Haven to Award More than 3,300 Degrees During Three Commencement Ceremonies for Class of 2025

The University of New Haven will host three Commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday, May 16 to 17, to award more than 3,300 degrees to its Class of 2025.

A highlight of the celebration will be the Commencement address that will be given by world-renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a member of the University community. He will deliver his address during the ceremony on Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m. for undergraduate members of the Class of 2025.

The founder of the University’s Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, Dr. Lee has assisted in more than 8,000 major case investigations. He has served as a forensics expert in all 50 states and more than 47 countries. Dr. Lee joined the University of New Haven in 1975, building its forensic science program into one of the best in the country.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Lee served as chief criminalist for the State of Connecticut and director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory. He also served as Commissioner for Connecticut’s Department of Public Safety from 1998 to 2000 and as Chief Emeritus for the Connecticut State Police from 2000 to 2010. In addition, he served as the editor of several academic journals and has authored or co-authored more than 40 books.

As part of the Saturday ceremony, an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree will be awarded to Dr. Lee’s wife, Xiaping Jiang Lee, a distinguished author, screenwriter, and educator. Her literary works, including Nirvana of Phoenix, Where Love Has Gone, and Gunshot in Croatia, are celebrated for their emotional depth and cross-cultural resonance. She has been appointed as a visiting professor at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. She also serves as the deputy director of the Creative Committee at the Asian Film and Media Research Center of Nanjing University.

The viral pet celebrity, with more than 18 million social media followers, Doug the Pug will also be recognized at the Saturday ceremony as an honorary member of the Class of 2025.

Graduate and doctoral degrees will awarded on Friday at 10 a.m. (Pompea College of Business; Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences; and School of Health Sciences) and Friday at 4:30 p.m. (Tagliatela College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences).

Each ceremony will take place on the University’s West Haven campus at Kathy Zolad Stadium. More than 4,800 guests are expected for each ceremony.

Student speakers, who were selected through a competitive audition process, will also address their classmates at each ceremony.

Additional information and live streams of each ceremony can be found at newhaven.edu/commencement.