What to Know
- New York University announced that it will be holding a virtual commencement for the Class of 2021 citing the university’s inability to hold a large gathering amid the ongoing pandemic.
- Although the university researched various scenarios with the hope of holding an in-person ceremony, however, it soon came to realize that it was unlikely that the restrictions on mass gatherings would be lifted in time for the ceremony to take place.
- NYU's virtual commencement is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 11:00 a.m.
New York University announced that it will be holding a virtual commencement for the Class of 2021 -- citing the university’s inability to hold a mass gathering amid the ongoing pandemic.
"Unfortunately and with much regret, I am letting you know that it has become clear to us that we will not be able to come together in person for Commencement and must instead proceed, as we had to last year, with a virtual Commencement," NYU President Andrew Hamilton said in a Feb. 8 email.
Although the university researched various scenarios with the hope of holding an in-person ceremony, it came to realize that it was unlikely that the restrictions on mass gatherings would be lifted in time for the ceremony to take place.
"We did not come to this decision lightly. We researched a range of scenarios —
indoor and outdoor, with and without guests, a traditional ceremony or a modified one — and repeatedly ran into the obstacle that we simply cannot gather enough people safely to hold an in-person ceremony," Hamilton's email went on to say. "With the slow rollout of vaccines, emergence of the new COVID variants, and the persistence of higher rates of COVID transmission than we were seeing just a few months ago, it is highly unlikely that restrictions on mass gatherings would be lifted in New York City to a level that Commencement in May would be feasible. Indeed, major city venues remain closed and will not open until well into the summer or fall. And ongoing travel restrictions limit the ability of our students and their guests to travel to New York for a ceremony."
NYU's virtual commencement is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 11:00 a.m. The Class of 2021 will be invited to return for an in-person ceremony when public health guidelines permit this.
Those in the Class of 2020, whom also had a virtual ceremony and whom the university had hoped to invite back this spring for their belated graduation ceremony, will need to continue to wait for their in-person ceremony, a postponement Hamilton said "is a source of great disappointment for us, as we know it must also be for last year’s graduates. But we promise you as well an in-person celebration when we can."
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Hamilton closes his email by saying: "To the Class of 2021: Whatever the format in which we celebrate you, please be assured it comes with our great pride in your achievements — all the more remarkable in light of the challenges of the past year, which you have overcome with grace and resilience."
