Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy invites the campus community to join in virtual celebrations of the UMass Class of 2020 on May 7 and 8. These online events do not replace the traditional campus ceremonies, which will be rescheduled for an appropriate date after restrictions on large gatherings are lifted.
For undergraduates, the 2020 Commencement Celebration is the culminating virtual event honoring the achievement of this year’s graduating class and will be available on Friday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. EDT at www.umass.edu/UMass2020. During the 15-minute streaming video celebration, Chancellor Subbaswamy will lead us through a tribute that honors the graduating class. Featured speakers include UMass President Marty Meehan; the 2020 student speaker, Grace Jung, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Wakefield, Massachusetts; and the keynote speaker for our on-campus ceremony, UMass alumnus John Jacobs ’90, co-founder and chief creative optimist of Life Is Good. Other plans include musical performances and some very special surprise guests you won’t want to miss. The UMass 2020 website will go live on May 7.
For graduate students, on May 8 the Graduate School will share video messages from dean Barbara Krauthamer and Chancellor Subbaswamy, as well as from the Graduate School’s staff. The Graduate School’s Commencement 2020 program will be available online. Dean Krauthamer, Associate Dean Beth Jakob, Assistant Dean Funmi Ayobami and the leaders of the Office of Professional Development will host a live drop-in room for graduating students who wish to say hello. More information will be available on the Graduate School’s website on May 8.
The schools and colleges will also be sharing video tributes and celebrating graduates on their social media channels, starting with Commonwealth Honors College on May 7. Information will be available on school and college websites.
Graduates are encouraged to wear their caps and gowns or their favorite UMass gear and to post photos and videos using #UMassTogether and #UMass2020.
The University Store is also offering a special discount for the Class of 2020 at www.umassstore.com.