Colleagues:
You may have seen that we are offering our spring 2021 baccalaureate and master’s graduates two in-person options to celebrate their achievements. They can either participate in a more traditional – but smaller than normal – commencement ceremony or opt for Grad Walk, a more personalized experience.
I’m writing to provide you with more information on faculty attendance and participation at the commencement ceremonies.
For undergraduates and master’s students, colleges will have in-person commencement ceremonies at Addition Financial Arena from May 5 to 9. In adherence to physical-distancing guidelines, some colleges may have multiple ceremonies to accommodate all of their graduates.
Because we have maximized the available space for graduates and their guests (two per graduate), we will not have room for faculty to attend those ceremonies, except for faculty who receive a guest ticket from a student.
We are planning a single ceremony for doctoral students during this same week. The program will adhere to COVID-19 protocols. Major advisors will be invited to join their graduating Ph.D. students. For this event, there will be room for other faculty who wish to attend as spectators. More information will be available soon.
For Grad Walk, graduates are permitted to invite up to five guests. Faculty members can join a student if they are invited as a guest.
The College of Medicine ceremony is tentatively scheduled for May 21, with details to come.
Some colleges or programs that have traditionally held their own graduation events are exploring the possibility of modified versions for spring. These will need to be approved events that comply with all of our COVID policies. I anticipate updates will be forthcoming soon from individual colleges or programs as plans are completed.
If you have questions, please email Academic Affairs at provost@ucf.edu.
Thank you for all your efforts to help our graduates reach this important milestone and to help all of our students succeed.
