Published on Oct. 2, 2020

Dear Mizzou students,

We have been thinking of you. Back in April, we made the difficult decision to postpone May 2020 commencement. We quickly pivoted and put together a virtual celebration that allowed us to recognize your incredible accomplishments. At that time, we also shared our commitment to having an in-person commencement for our Class of 2020, and remained hopeful that any postponement would be short-lived. We understood then, and continue to understand now, 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.

We will have an in-person commencement for the Class of 2020 in the future — let me be clear about that. As soon as it is both safe and logistically feasible, we intend to schedule in-person ceremonies. However, given the ongoing public health challenges of COVID-19, we do not anticipate being able to hold this event in 2020. As the last several months have shown us, we must continue to take necessary actions to protect the safety and well-being of our entire community.

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, Ph.D.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs