Winter Commencement Update

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 09:09:54 -0400

Dear UMBC Community,

As our December 2020 graduates finish their final semester and prepare for graduation, we want to share how proud we are of their accomplishments. To our students: We have missed seeing you in person these past six months, and we admire your resilience and perseverance. You are the embodiment of the hope we feel for the future.

As we prepare for UMBC’s December commencement, we regret that the current health situation means we will be unable to celebrate in person at this time. However, we are still excited to honor our graduates, and will host our commencement ceremonies online on December 16 and 17 for graduate and undergraduate students, respectively. Both ceremonies will air at 10 a.m. EST, and students and their families will have the opportunity to participate via social media. Recordings of the ceremonies will also be available.

To mark this occasion, each graduate will receive a special package containing a tassel and other commemorative items. The packages will also include honors and 4.0 GPA cords for undergraduates meeting the corresponding requirements.

We know that this will be difficult news for many of our graduates and their families, and we share your disappointment. We intend to invite graduates back to campus to celebrate in person when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, please know that our colleagues are planning a meaningful event that will allow all of us to celebrate your achievements. We also appreciate and plan to incorporate the feedback we received from our May 2020 graduates.

In these difficult times, we are inspired hearing about our students’ tenacity and inventiveness in the face of great challenges, and learning about the ways our faculty and staff are working to support our students. Our graduating students -- UMBC’s future alumni -- help us keep hope alive.

Please visit the Commencement website for updates as they become available, and share your questions and ideas about Commencement with commencement@umbc.edu.

President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous