UConn Announces In-Person Graduation Ceremonies For 2021

STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut will include in-person ceremonies in its planned graduation exercises this year.

UConn President Thomas Katsouleas laid out the details in a letter to the school community Wednesday.

The ceremonies will be for both the Class of 2020 and 2021, he said.

"We reached this decision only after consulting the experts who have been on the forefront of managing UConn’s response to the pandemic, along with the Connecticut Department of Public Health," Katsouleas said. "As has been true since the start of the pandemic, our two guiding principles are safety and choice, which is why the in-person ceremonies will also be live-streamed."

The in-person ceremonies are scheduled for a five-day period, May 8 through 12 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

A virtual commencement ceremony for the class of 2021 is also on tap for May 8 at 1 p.m. That event will feature U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as the keynote speaker. Cardona received a master's degree from UConn.

"The events of the last 12 months have changed our world in ways none of us could have imagined, altering the patterns of daily life and presenting us with unprecedented challenges," Katsouleas said. "Through the events of the past year, our students, faculty, staff, and friends have shown an admirable dedication to meeting these challenges and overcoming them, and now, as we can see light on the horizon, that commitment is being rewarded with the gradual return to the familiar and cherished."

He continued, "Among the most important of those are the milestones and special occasions that mark our lives. In the life of a university, there is no occasion more special than commencement, when we recognize the achievements of those receiving degrees, the very essence of a scholarly community."

See complete UConn commencement details here.