In a Wednesday afternoon email from the Commencement Committee, the University announced its modified in-person plan for the Class of 2022’s May commencement ceremony.
At the ceremony, University graduates will receive their diplomas and hear a speech from University President Martha Pollack. While the event is traditionally held in-person in May on Schoellkopf Field, the past two ceremonies have been unconventional due to the pandemic.
The University intends to host two in-person ceremonies on May 28 — one during the day for undergraduates, and one in the evening for Ph.D.s — which will each include a procession from the Arts Quad to Schoellkopf Field.
Members of the graduating class of 2022 will be allowed up to four guests per student, and they will only be permitted to attend one of the two in-person ceremonies.
This commencement differs from that of spring 2021, where each graduate was only allowed two guests.
The Senior Class Convocation is planned for the same week. However, instead of taking place on the same Saturday as the ceremonies, it will occur during Senior Week and will be a “student-centric event,” according to the University announcement.
Colleges and departments across the University will also hold their own events throughout the commencement weekend.
The announcement to hold the May commencement ceremonies in-person comes after several semesters of modified commencements. The University moved the Class of 2020’s in-person commencement to Sept. 19, 2021 — more than a year after that class had graduated — and canceled the in-person December 2021 graduate recognition ceremony due to a COVID-19 outbreak that triggered a campus-wide shutdown.
The University has yet to announce how it will divide undergraduate colleges between the two ceremonies, how guests will reserve tickets and which public health protocols will be enforced. The Commencement Committee will share this information on the commencement website upon updates from the University.
“Commencement is one of the most special days for our Cornell community,” the Commencement Committee said in a Jan. 26 email, ”and we look forward to celebrating with our graduates and guests in May.”