Published on Oct. 9, 2020

Updated on Oct. 19, 2020

Dear Mizzou students,

We have been thinking of you. Over the last several months, all of us have had to endure extraordinary changes and make difficult decisions that disrupt our lives. Through it all, you have shown remarkable flexibility and strength as we deal with the ongoing public health challenges of COVID-19. You’ve continued to succeed in spite of everything the world has thrown at you and are now preparing to make that time-honored transition from Mizzou student to Mizzou alum.

For months, we held on to the hope that we could honor your achievements with a commencement ceremony this semester. We understand how important a commencement ceremony is — not only as a stepping stone to the next phase of your life, but also as the cumulative celebration of your entire educational career. As the last several months have shown us though, we must continue to make difficult decisions and take necessary actions to protect the safety and well-being of our entire community. Given the current public health challenges, we will not be holding this event in December 2020.

Instead, we will hold a virtual celebration of your accomplishments this semester. We will communicate details about that virtual celebration later this fall.

We will also hold an in-person commencement for the Class of 2020 in the future — let me be clear about that. At this time, we cannot set dates for an in-person ceremony, but we will do so as soon as it is logistically feasible and safe from a public health perspective.

I understand this is a difficult message to receive. You deserve to be celebrated — you have earned your status as a successful graduate, and you’ve done this under extraordinarily challenging circumstances. As a university and as the Mizzou family, we applaud your hard work, and we are in awe of your perseverance. We are also incredibly grateful for the support of your families and friends throughout your journey. We know that no one succeeds alone. We look forward to the moment when we can finally gather in person to honor your achievements together.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Latha Ramchand, PhD

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs