Skip to Content
Virtual Fall commencement scheduled for December 13

Virtual Fall commencement scheduled for December 13

President Mark B. Rosenberg shared the following message on Sept. 23.

September 23, 2020 at 6:40pm


Dear members of the university community,

I hope everyone is having a successful and enjoyable start to the Fall 2020 semester. These last few months have been difficult for so many of us, with COVID-19 turning our world upside down. But with unity and grit, our FIU family has pulled through, and I am confident that the strength and determination of our Panther family will continue to guide us as we move forward.

Although we have seen an overall decrease in COVID-19 infection rates in Miami-Dade County, the virus remains a significant threat and we must continue to take all necessary precautions – including adherence to our Panthers Protecting Panthers initiative – to protect ourselves and others.

Among the ways we do this is by remaining physically distant, in order to mitigate risk and avoid the spread of coronavirus. That is why all in-person university events on and off campus are still suspended until further notice. 

For everyone’s safety, and following a State University System recommendation to develop alternate plans for fall commencement ceremonies, we will host a virtual commencement in December. The Fall commencement will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 13. While I encourage you to tune in on December 13, please know that the ceremony will be available any time after that for your enjoyment.

Similar to our Spring and Summer virtual commencements, where we saw nearly 11,000 students graduate, our Fall celebration will feature the national anthem, a Zoom-recorded performance of the alma mater by our School of Music students, remarks from me, our Provost and our deans, and personalized slides honoring our graduates’ achievements.

For our Fall virtual commencement, we’re bringing out true Panther spirit, with exciting features for our graduates such as contests, commencement toolkits for social media and yard signs. We are also hosting a campus caravan to celebrate our students. Please stay tuned for additional details.

Although there is no substitution for a celebration on campus, our Spring and Summer virtual commencements proved to be overwhelmingly successful. Thousands of families gathered in at-home ceremonies, organized graduation caravans and shared some Panther spirit with uplifting messages on social media. Our goal is to give our Fall graduates an even more memorable Panther commencement experience.                                     

For updated information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit FIU’s coronavirus website.

In the Panther spirit,

 

Mark B. Rosenberg