Commencement 2021 Update

Monday March 22, 2021 5:39 pm

Dear Class of 2021,

Last week the Office of the Governor, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, issued guidelines for holding outdoor events that pertain to Commencement ceremonies. With this guidance in place, we can announce that Cal State Fullerton will be able to make the pivot to add a limited, in-person, graduate-only element to ceremony.

Commencement ceremonies will include:

• Virtual All-University Commencement – On June 11th all graduating students will be invited to join an all-University virtual ceremony that will include speeches from campus leadership and the conferring of degrees. We encourage graduates, families and friends to participate in this celebration. The exact time will be announced soon.
• Virtual College Ceremonies – Also on June 11th, and following the all-University Commencement, each college will have a virtual celebration with a program that is specific to that college.
• In-Person Graduate-Only Commencement Stage Walk (Pending Local Health Guidelines and Conditions) – We know that crossing the stage is an important part of Commencement, so we are excited to invite back to campus graduates for an in-person, graduate-only walk across the commencement stage. So we can use all available space for our graduates, no family members or other guests will be allowed to accompany graduates; however, the stage walk will be live-streamed and recorded for guests to safely view at home. These stage walks will be organized by college, and will start Saturday, June 12th with the Class of 2020 and continue until completed.

We are excited that we can offer these commencement elements and look forward to celebrating your accomplishments. Details on how graduates can register and the specific dates and times for the stage walks will be released in April. The Commencement Team will take part in the Virtual GradFest, April 12 to 15, 2021, to answer questions from graduates.

Thank you again for your patience as we navigate this unfamiliar situation and determine the safest way to celebrate your academic accomplishments. As we have experienced during the past year, the pandemic is still a very fluid situation, and all plans are subject to change based on restrictions and guidance from the state of California. We urge all graduates to regularly read the email communication you will receive from the Commencement Team as well as checking the commencement website frequently.

Congratulations! We look forward to seeing you in June.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Thomas, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Greg Saks
Vice President for University Advancement