College of DuPage Announces June 11 Virtual Commencement

Online Ceremony the First in College’s 53-Year History

College of DuPage will host the 2020 Commencement Ceremony virtually for the first time in College history.

The 53rd annual event will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, and will be presented via Facebook Live, YouTube and various local cable stations. The College will celebrate the Class of 2020 achievements in an engaging manner with faculty and staff involvement. Out of an abundance of caution and safety in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, College officials moved the ceremony online in order to recognize this major milestone in academic achievement.

“With the Illinois stay-at-home order extended until May 31 and our recent decision to maintain distance/online learning through the summer term, we had to consider alternatives to our annual commencement activities,” said College of DuPage President Dr. Brian Caputo. “The Class of 2020 has worked hard in their educational pursuits, and we want to celebrate that in a dynamic fashion. Our virtual ceremony will ensure the continued safety of the COD community.”

To participate, students receiving a degree or certificate for the 2019-2020 academic year must apply to graduate by Tuesday, May 12. Because a third-party vendor is providing virtual ceremony support, students who previously applied to graduate must resubmit their applications.

Students who apply to participate in the June 11 virtual ceremony will then be able to upload their information online, including the correct pronunciation of their first and last names and a photo to accompany their degree convocation during the ceremony. All participating graduates will receive a free tassel and diploma covers as well as a commemorative commencement program that will be mailed following the ceremony.

This year, the Office of Student Life is sponsoring a commencement cap decorating contest. To receive a free cap, students wishing to participate should contact studentlife@cod.edu with "Decorating My Cap" in the subject line along with their address in the body of the email by Saturday, May 19. Participating students can then post pictures of their decorated caps by Thursday, June 11, on social media using #codgrad and tag CODStudentlife to be entered. Five winners will be chosen based on creativity and each will receive a $50 gift card.

While students and their families are no doubt disappointed at the turn of events, Dr. Caputo said that graduating students are invited to participate in the 2021 ceremony in addition to being part of the June 11 virtual event.

“COVID-19 has impacted so many facets of our lives,” he said. “It is unfortunate we cannot celebrate together on campus this year, but we want to acknowledge our students and their successes as safely as we can.”

For more information, or to apply to graduate, visit cod.edu/commencement.