WINONA, Minn. – The gongs you’ll hear Friday in the Winona Sate neighborhood will be from the university’s latest exuberant class of gradates. Since 2021 the grads have paraded by the mid-campus gazebo to dong a giant bell and tell the world they’re heading out. The bell was the idea of former President Scott Olson – something he borrowed from a Harvard tradition dating to 1643. This spring Winona State will honor 939 gradates in commencement exercises at 9 a.m,12 noon and 3 p.m. This is the breakdown by college:
> Health 380, compared to 352 a year earlier.
> Liberal arts: 189, compared to 195.
> Education: 153, compared to 121.
> Business: 118, compared to 124.
>Engineering: 99, compared to 118.
TOTAL: 939, compared to 910.
A family photo opp. The university’s commencement bell has been wheeled to the campus gazebo for a five-year-old ceremonial tradition. Yes, it’s deep, resonant and unmistakable.