Photos by CSU Photography
This one-of-a-kind semester calls for a one-of-a-kind celebration of graduating seniors. And Colorado State University is ready to make the best of a unique situation.
Since traditional May graduation ceremonies have been postponed due to COVID-19, events have been created to make sure graduates are properly honored. Congratulatory videos from President Joyce McConnell and other campus leaders, digital party packs for safer-at-home celebrations, social media campaigns, stories about outstanding graduates on SOURCE, and even bigger-than-life messages on the Canvas Stadium scoreboard are all part of the planned celebration for the Class of 2020.
“I’ve been impressed – and delighted – to see the creative ways our Commencement Team have used to design an innovative virtual experience for our graduating students,” CSU Provost Rick Miranda said. “They deserve as big a celebration as we can provide!”
Miranda added a reminder that seniors who wish to participate in a traditional graduation ceremony are invited and encouraged to do so at the December commencement. In the meantime, CSU will virtually celebrate those Rams who have completed work on undergraduate and graduate degrees in the spring and summer semesters:
- Undergraduates: 4,234
- Graduate students: 1,735, including 201 Ph.D. students
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: 135
In addition, 18 Air Force ROTC cadets and 12 Army cadets will become commissioned officers.
𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎🎓
— Colorado State Rams (@CSURams) May 9, 2020
𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙎 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝘿𝙎!🎉
We are proud of you & all of your accomplishments as you go forward to represent what it truly means to be #ProudToBe 💚 pic.twitter.com/VeqGLLqkZU
CSU Athletics kicked off the graduation celebration with a socially safe car parade on May 8.
Virtual Commencement celebration highlights
A video message from McConnell will be distributed via social media at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 15.
Emails will be sent to all graduates that same morning encouraging them to visit the commencement website, with messages from McConnell, Miranda, CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank, deans and others.
CSU’s eight colleges will send out customized messages to all of their graduates on May 15.
A virtual performance of CSU’s Alma Mater will be promoted via social media on May 15.
CSU’s social media channels will start sharing user-generated content later that afternoon. Graduates are encouraged to post photos of their celebrations using hashtags #CSURamGrad2020 or #CSUClassof2020.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian is producing a special edition that will be mailed to graduates at their home address.
Congratulatory messages will be played on the Canvas Stadium scoreboard on Friday and Saturday.
Graduates will receive an email Saturday welcoming them to the CSU Alumni Association.
For questions, please refer to CSU’s commencement website at commencement.colostate.edu.
