Notre Dame conferral of degrees to be held online; on-campus celebration scheduled for spring 2021 | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Notre Dame conferral of degrees to be held online; on-campus celebration scheduled for spring 2021 Notre Dame conferral of degrees to be held online; on-campus celebration scheduled for spring 2021 Published: March 30, 2020 Author: Dennis Brown Tassel colors representing areas of study. Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame. In a letter today to the Class of 2020, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced that the University Commencement Ceremony on May 17 will be held online rather than in Notre Dame Stadium, and that an on-campus celebration has been scheduled for the spring of 2021. Father Jenkins made the decision after discussions with experts on infectious diseases, University deans, and student government and class officers as he continued to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus.  “Although there remains a good deal of uncertainty about the trajectory and duration of the pandemic” Father Jenkins wrote, “it is becoming clear that it would not be prudent to host on May 16-17 the Notre Dame Commencement on our campus — a large gathering bringing together families from across the country and around the world, many with older or at-risk members.  “The Notre Dame Commencement and the events leading up to it mean so much to our graduates, their families, our faculty and to me personally, and so it is with greatest regret that I tell you we will not be able to gather you on campus for Commencement this May.” In order to ensure that the graduates’ degrees are conferred and certified in May for the purposes of employment or further studies, Notre Dame will live-stream a ceremony May 17. The commencement speaker, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Orthodox Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, and others will be asked to record remarks for the graduates. After speaking with Class of 2020 officers, Father Jenkins also announced that the University plans to bring this year’s graduates back to campus on Memorial Day weekend 2021 to, in his words, “spend time with your friends, classmates, faculty and others who have been part of your Notre Dame experience … and celebrate your accomplishments.” Details will be announced in coming months. In closing his letter, Father Jenkins harkened back to graduates of Notre Dame’s Class of 1879, who were sent home before the end of the semester when a fire in April destroyed the Main Building, which at the time housed much of the University’s academic, housing, dining, administrative and other functions. “The University, and that class, arose from the ashes of 1879 even stronger,” Father Jenkins wrote. “You will as well.”  Posted In: Commencement Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related July 06, 2022 Antonio Ortiz to speak at ACE Commencement ceremony May 29, 2022 The Commencement of the class of 2020 May 29, 2022 Class of 2020 Graduate School degree recipients encouraged to ‘embrace the uncomfortable middle’ and to ‘seek joy’ May 26, 2022 Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research, to keynote 2020 Graduate School Commencement Ceremony May 25, 2022 Class of 2020 returns for a Commencement ceremony two years in the making For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn