During that span, the event has grown. Along with the traditional morning Commencement program, an additional 150 related events and reunions occur during the second week in June. Planning for this celebration begins a full six months, and in some cases, an entire year prior to each Commencement. It is truly a "University-wide" undertaking that requires a team of dedicated and committed individuals across campuses to ensure that all activities run flawlessly on a very tight schedule. The Commencement Week Task Force, in conjunction with the Commencement Office and the Harvard Alumni Office, manages and coordinates an awe-inspiring list of functions that occur during Commencement/Reunion Week.

One of the task force's biggest challenges is to ensure that local vendors are prepared to support all the festivities. Linda Zedros from the Procurement Management Department is co-chair of the task force. Zedros is responsible for making the most effective use of the available resources and juggling the ever-changing logistics of the events to guarantee that the needs of both Harvard and its Commencement vendors are met.

The scope of the operation can be breathtaking. Nearly 80,000 chairs, 5,880 tables, and 124 tents must be rented, delivered, set up in pre-identified locations, and then removed during the course of the week rain or shine. Customized Commencement souvenir lunch satchels and bottled water are provided to 10,000 participants. For overnight guests, 36,000 pieces of linens are required, ranging from bedsheets to bath mats. And, when it is time to clean up, 12,000 trash bags are ready to handle the debris, much of it comprised by 137,000 paper cups.