Dear Members of the Class of 2021,

We are delighted to announce that we will be holding small in-person, on-campus Commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21 to celebrate your accomplishments! Commencement is a special time on our university campus and we are pleased to provide you with the opportunity to cross the stage and have your names called.

While the essence of this day will not change, its format will. There will be testing, masking, distancing, and other health and safety protocols to follow. In order to keep everyone sufficiently distanced, multiple ceremonies will be held over two separate days, May 20 and 21, and family members and other guests will be attending virtually. Our plans are awaiting approval by the Vermont Department of Health; if COVID-19 conditions worsen, we will pivot to a virtual ceremony. Given the protocols we have in place, we are hopeful that a pivot will be unnecessary.

We are determined to maintain the joy and optimism of a University of Vermont Commencement. Graduates who studied remotely this semester, along with summer and December 2020 graduates, are invited to attend the in-person ceremony. We will stream each of the ceremonies live for family and friends, and for graduates who cannot attend in person.

In the coming weeks, more information on our plans will be available on the Commencement website, which will be updated regularly as plans unfold. Please complete the Commencement survey that you will receive later this week. You can send questions to academic_ceremonies@uvm.edu, and we have also scheduled two Commencement Teams Live information sessions:

Thursday, April 8, 7:00 pm (EST) – join via Teams
Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 pm (EST) – join via Teams

We are committed to celebrating the accomplishments of the Class of 2021. We ask for your partnership in making this a safe and memorable day.

With best wishes,

Suresh V. Garimella, President
Patricia A. Prelock, Provost and Senior Vice President