The University of Virginia will hold a virtual celebration and degree conferral Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT to honor the Class of 2020 and mark the end of the academic year.
The approximately 40-minute program will feature two surprise, world-class musical performances, a message from UVA President Jim Ryan and the conferral of degrees by the deans of each of the University’s 12 schools. The celebration will also feature a year-in-review video.
Students, their families and friends can view the ceremony on the Class of 2020 Celebration website and at virginia.edu/live, as well as on UVA’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts and the accounts of Ryan and the UVA Office of Major Events. The virtual celebration also will be recorded for viewing following the livestream.
The event is not a substitute for in-person celebration. The University will hold Final Exercises for the Class of 2020 on one of two weekends, depending on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UVA is holding the weekend of Oct. 9-11, which coincides with fall reading days, for a possible graduation weekend. The University is also holding May 28-30, 2021, as a backup. That is the weekend after the Class of 2021 will walk the Lawn. UVA will share more definite information in June.
More than 7,000 degrees will be awarded to the Class of 2020 on Saturday. Of the 4,250 baccalaureate degrees being conferred, 167 were earned in three years and five in two years’ time. About 3,000 graduate and professional degrees will be awarded. Approximately 750 people in the Class of 2020 are international students. Diplomas will be mailed to students in June.
A student-led performance will follow the conferral of degrees. After the virtual celebration, students are encouraged to return to the Class of 2020 Celebration page, where they can follow links to view other school-specific content, including messages from their deans.
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Chris Graham
