Commencement 2020 to Be Held on the Shaw Quadrangle

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

The academic year may have just begun but, already, intense planning is underway for May 2020’s Commencement and other related activities.

As part of the Campus Framework shared with our community in 2016, the Dome is currently undergoing extensive renovations. The facility will close on March 1, 2020, allowing the most complex construction—specifically the roof replacement—to occur during milder weather, ultimately enabling the facility to reopen in fall 2020.

For our students graduating in 2020 and their families, this means they will experience a different kind of Commencement, a milestone one-of-a-kind ceremony, which will be held on the Shaw Quadrangle. On any fall or spring day, the Quad is abuzz with energy and activity. For decades, it has served as the heartbeat of our community. And on May 10, 2020, the energy will be more palpable than ever.

In the coming weeks, we will communicate with graduates and their families about schedules for events, the weather contingency plan and activities that will make Commencement 2020 special and filled with the important traditions that we all value. We are also working on creating an opportunity for the graduates to bid an appropriate farewell to the Dome—before it closes its doors for the last time this year.

Important updates will be posted on Commencement.syr.edu, the University’s official site for all things Commencement-related, beginning in October.

Sincerely,

Michele G. Wheatly, Vice Chancellor and Provost

Dolan Evanovich, Senior Vice President for Enrollment and the Student Experience