Dear Members of the Syracuse University Community:
In recent weeks, the University has shared updates on our work to reopen for residential instruction in August with an accelerated academic calendar. In planning for our fall semester, we are determining how the University manages large-scale events, such as athletic events, and annual traditions where we come together in large numbers.
As we continue to explore options for when we are able to hold Commencement for the Class of 2020, at this time, we do not believe it is possible to do so until after Thanksgiving. Therefore, next week, our 2020 graduates will be receiving a survey from me asking for their preference for a ceremony to be held between Thanksgiving 2020 and May 2021. With their feedback, we will share our plans for Commencement promptly. I remain committed to recognizing our graduates with the celebration they deserve.
We want nothing more than to welcome them back to campus to honor their achievements. However, with the public health information available to us today, it is not yet advisable to ask our graduates and their families to travel from across the country and around the globe to Central New York for an event of that size before Thanksgiving.
We will make good on our promise to celebrate our graduates and their families in a special and authentically Syracuse way.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud
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