Dear Seniors in the College,
Today, the University of Chicago announced the Convocation ceremony schedule for the Class of 2021, including information on the College diploma ceremonies that will take place following the 534th Convocation ceremony. I write to share additional details on the events and activities to honor graduating seniors in the College.
534th Convocation Ceremony: June 9, 2021
The 534th Convocation ceremony, a University-wide ceremony that includes the verbal conferring of degrees by the University president, will take place virtually at 4 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, June 9.
Class Day: June 11, 2021
Class Day, the College’s annual celebration of its graduating students, will take place remotely at 2 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 11. The event will include a keynote address from Rep. Andy Kim, AB’04, remarks from students in the Class of 2021, and the presentation of College awards.
College Diploma Ceremonies: June 12-13, 2021
The College diploma ceremonies, the presentation of degrees to undergraduate students, will take place in-person on Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13. Monday, June 14 has been reserved in the event of inclement weather.
As previously communicated, College diploma ceremonies are limited to graduating students and participating faculty and staff only. For advance planning purposes, ceremony times by residence hall are listed below. All times are listed in Central Daylight Time.
Saturday, June 12
- Max Palevsky Residential Commons: 9:30 a.m.
- Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons East: 10 a.m.
- Snell-Hitchcock Hall: 10:30 a.m.
- Campus North Residential Commons East: 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 13
- International House and Stony Island Hall: 9:30 a.m.
- Campus North Residential Commons West and Vue53: 10 a.m.
- Burton-Judson Courts: 10:30 a.m.
- Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons West: 2 p.m.
Please note that due to the changing nature of the pandemic, the University is actively consulting with City Officials to ensure that all plans for on-campus ceremonies are in compliance with required health and safety protocols.
All ceremonies will be webcast on the Convocation website, and recordings of each ceremony will be available for on-demand viewing after each ceremony ends. Students and family members will receive links at a later date.
Additional Reminders
- Accommodations will be available for graduates with disabilities during all diploma ceremonies. This information is designated for graduates with visual or hearing impairments, limited mobility, and/or graduates using wheelchairs.
- To make arrangements, the University asks that graduates submit their request by completing the Accommodations Request Form. Please note, this form is for graduates only. For College diploma ceremonies, degree candidates who request accommodations will receive information from corresponding staff approximately two (2) weeks prior to Convocation.
- To ensure the proper pronunciation of each graduate’s name, students are strongly encouraged to visit the App to Grad link in their My.UChicago student portal to record an audio reference.
- Students are invited to submit one to three photos to include in a slideshow that will appear on-screen at each of the Diploma Ceremonies as graduate names are being read by Resident Deans and Resident Heads. We ask that one of these photos be just of a single graduate while the remaining two photos can be a group picture with family and friends. These pictures will only be used for your individual College diploma ceremony and can be submitted on the Seniors website.
- The College will be providing Senior Care Packages for all fourth-year graduating students. In-person distribution will take place for fourth-year students living near campus on May 24 and May 25 on Harper Quad. Students who indicated they would like their package mailed will have them mailed the week of May 17 for international packages and the week of May 31 for domestic packages. If you have questions or would like to confirm the address your package is being mailed to, please reach out to College Programming and Orientation at college-programming@uchicago.edu.
- The UChicago Bookstore will have a limited supply of bachelor’s regalia available for students who missed the pre-order deadline beginning the week of May 3.
More details surrounding Convocation will be shared in the coming weeks. For the latest information, please visit the Convocation website.
My best wishes for a successful and enjoyable final quarter in the College. We look forward to honoring your significant achievements in June.
Sincerely,
John W. Boyer
Dean of the College
The University of Chicago