The university president at the time the author graduated (and and also at my own graduation few years earlier) was a classics professor who has good Latin abil

The university president at the time the author graduated (and and also at my own graduation few years earlier) was a classics professor who has good Latin ability, so she conducted most of the ceremony overall in Latin. Of course some bits of English were included, such as when honorary degree recipients or students selected to speak at the ceremony were doing their bits. Yes they provided translations and I think subtitles too. The current university president is less proficient in Latin, so she does most of the ceremony in English, only using Latin for the few bits that the University rules require to be in Latin (including the moments when the degrees are formally conferred).