APRIL 9 UPDATE: Follow-up to graduating students from Vice Chancellor Brian Haynes.
Dear UCR Community,
I have received and endorsed recommendations from the Commencement Task Force for limited, in-person commencement activities for the graduating classes of 2021 and 2020, consistent with public health guidance, assuming local SARS CoV-2 infection data do not worsen significantly between now and the end of Spring Quarter.
Remarks and greetings by university, Academic Senate, alumni, and student leadership will be delivered as a prerecorded program of approximately 30 minutes and released at the end of Spring Quarter. Students and their families may watch this at a convenient time and enjoy a tassel-turning or hooding moment with their loved ones at home.
From Saturday, June 12 through Monday, June 14, graduating students may sign up for blocks of time to walk across a stage individually as their name is read, have their photo taken in academic regalia on the stage, and exit the opposite side of the venue, which will be either the Student Recreation Center North Gymnasium or University Theatre. There will be no guests permitted inside or around either facility, and students will line up socially distanced and with face coverings, as required by campus and public health guidelines.
To protect the safety and health of fellow students as well as staff and volunteers who assist with the events, all participating students must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before queueing at either venue, with a completed COVID Vaccination Record Card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Students eligible to graduate will receive further instructions about registration, and a virtual GradFair that will begin on April 26, at which students can purchase mortar boards, gowns, sashes, cords, and other regalia. More information will be posted on the Commencement Web site (commencement.ucr.edu) starting on Monday, April 12, 2021.
We continue to monitor infection data and will strictly adhere to all public health guidance to determine if any adjustments in approach are required. I’m pleased UCR can provide this celebratory opportunity for our graduating students who have worked so hard to earn their degrees and am grateful to the Commencement Task Force for its thoughtful deliberations and recommendations supported by science. Special thanks go to co-chairs Vice Chancellor Brian Haynes and Dean Kathryn Uhrich.
Vaccine Information
Vaccination appointments are accessible here (in Riverside County) or here (outside Riverside County). Because of required time spacing between doses, the last day graduates can receive their first Moderna vaccination is May 1, 2021 to achieve optimal immunity. Corresponding dates for other authorized vaccines are May 8 for Pfizer/BioNTech and May 29 for Johnson & Johnson.