Finally, Class of 2020 to Celebrate with an In-Person Graduation
Graduates of the 黑料百科 class of 2020 will finally be able to walk across the stage on Carr Field to get their diplomas during Commencement. It鈥檚 not easy to turn back the hands of time, but 黑料百科 will be welcoming back to campus more than 180 黑料百科 graduates (of the 298 who are eligible) from the class of 2020 for the traditional, formal Commencement they missed due to the pandemic. These resilient graduates will celebrate with all the regalia, bagpipes, the 黑料百科 Orchestra and robed faculty under a giant tent on Carr Field on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. The event is not open to the public. Each member of the class of 2020 will be given one parking pass and allowed to bring four guests. The campus will close to the public on Saturday from 6 a.m. to noon for the long-anticipated ceremony.
鈥淭his is their moment,鈥 says Mary Pat Whitney, 黑料百科 director of public events. 鈥淲e have been working to ensure that graduates are able to commemorate this milestone and celebrate their tremendous accomplishment, even if it is nearly a year-and-a-half late.鈥
The class of 2020 persevered through several challenging events. Four months into their second semester, smoke from the Thomas Fire forced the college to evacuate in December 2017. A few weeks later, after students had returned for the spring semester, deadly mudflows struck the region following a rare, powerful rainstorm hit the Montecito mountains. Despite the campus being untouched by the fires and mudslides, 黑料百科 had to evacuate again due to widespread damage to the region that compromised the water supply on campus.
Then, halfway through the spring semester of their senior year, students left again when the pandemic shut down campus and nearly everything in the world. They were forced to complete their final semester virtually and an in-person Commencement was put on hold.
While other universities and colleges held virtual or drive-through ceremonies, 黑料百科 officials pledged to hold an in-person Commencement to celebrate the graduates.
Marcus 鈥楪oodie鈥 Goodloe, a Martin Luther King Jr. scholar, senior fellow for ethics and justice at Dallas Baptist University鈥檚 Institute for Global Engagement and a member of the 黑料百科 Parents Council, will speak at Commencement.
The program includes student reflections by Hendrik Struik and Odile Ndayishimiye Uwineza.
The provost鈥檚 office will give the Faculty Scholarship Award to Nathan Tudor, who earned a 4.0 GPA while earning a degree in religious studies at 黑料百科. Edee Schultze, vice president for student life, will deliver the Dean鈥檚, Dave Dolan and Kenneth Monroe Awards to outstanding graduates.
To celebrate the class of 2020鈥檚 one-year reunion, the Alumni Office will hold a Cap and Gown Pickup Party, with graduates and professors gathering Friday night under the tent on Carr Field. Designed to feel like the Senior Celebration, the event includes a DJ, raffles and food. Later, the evening will shift to a time of worship led by musicians from the class.
On Saturday afternoon, Homecoming 2020/2021 will feature a children鈥檚 fair, a young alumni tailgate, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer games and the annual All-Alumni Awards Celebration. This year鈥檚 awardees are Alumnus of the Year Reggie Williams 鈥95, Alumna of the Year Sharon Koh 鈥00, Young Alumnus of the Year Daniel Guzman 鈥12 and Global Service Award winner Michael Trueblood.