UT-Austin Details Upcoming Virtual Commencement Ceremony

AUSTIN, TX — The University of Texas at Austin has scheduled a commencement ceremony for the Class of 2o20 on Saturday that is unlike any before it, inviting friends of family of graduates to gather online amid the continued threat of the coronavirus.

The university's 137th Spring Commencement ceremony is scheduled Saturday, May 23, with a pre-show at 8:30 pm. followed by a live ceremony at 9 p.m. The event that traditionally transforms the campus into a staging area — with thousands of students and their families in full force as speakers laud academic accomplishments from a makeshift stage — will be decidedly low-key this year, if not equally momentous for grads.

Adherence to physical distancing provisions continue among those helping to blunt the spread of an illness for which there is no vaccine. Despite the state's brisk pace of economy reopening, many opt to continue the tactics of distancing and the wearing of facial coverings — no longer mandated by gubernatorial degree — to help mitigate illness spread.

"The 2020 graduating class has been resilient throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, finding innovative ways to connect to one another, learn and now celebrate their achievements," officials wrote in an email.

Plans for the unque commencement ceremony include:

• Internationally acclaimed researcher and author, UT alumna and McCombs School of Business visiting professor Brené Brown will deliver the keynote address at the virtual ceremony, which will also include a celebratory Tower lighting and live performances.
• Brown headlines a group of distinguished leaders across academic disciplines, who will deliver livestreamed graduation speeches for the individual colleges, schools and departments across campus.
• Convocations at the colleges and schools will honor students individually. Speakers and livestream information can be found on the 2020 Commencement website and are listed below. The 2020 Commencement website will be updated as more livestream information becomes available.

The schedule:

Thursday, May 21

6:30 p.m. — Dell Medical School. Livestream: https://bit.ly/DellMed2020

Saturday, May 23

1 p.m. — Graduate School. Speaker: Mark J.T. Smith, Dean of the Graduate School, University of Texas at Austin.

1 p.m. — School of Law. Speaker: The Hon. Robert Pitman, ’88, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/UTexasLaw

2 p.m. — School of Architecture. Speaker: Michelle Addington, Dean of the School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin.

2 p.m. — McCombs School of Business (Undergraduate Students). Speaker: John Harkey, Chief Executive Officer, Consolidated Restaurant Operations.

2 p.m. — Moody College of Communication. Ceremony features special guests, surprise musical performances and heartfelt messages from graduates.

2 p.m. — School of Nursing

2 p.m. — College of Pharmacy. Speaker: Sandra Leal, Executive Vice President, Tabula Rasa HealthCare and Chief Executive Officer, SinfoniaRx.

3 p.m. — McCombs School of Business (Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, and Information Technology and Management). Speaker: Stephanie Chesnick, Principal, EY.

3 p.m. — College of Education. Speaker: Julieta García, University of Texas at Austin Professor and Former President, UT Brownsville

3 p.m. — College of Liberal Arts. Speaker: Ann Stevens, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin.

3 p.m. — LBJ School of Public Affairs. Speaker: Colin Crowell, former Vice President of Global Public Policy and Philanthropy at Twitter.

3 p.m. — Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Speaker: Luis H. Zayas, Dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin.

4 p.m. — McCombs School of Business (MBA Programs). Speaker: Marissa Tarleton, Chief Executive Officer, RetailMeNot.

4 p.m. — College of Natural Sciences. Speaker: Paul Goldbart, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin.

4 p.m. — College of Fine Arts. Speaker: Attorney and UT Austin Art History alumna Sammetria Goodson.

4 p.m. — School of Information. Speaker: Eric T. Meyer, Dean of the School of Information, University of Texas at Austin.

5 p.m. — McCombs School of Business (MPA Programs). Speaker: Chris Cartwright, President and Chief Executive Officer, TransUnion.

5 p.m. — McCombs School of Business (Technology Commercialization). Speaker: Lisa Seacat Deluca, Director IoT & Digital Twin, Distinguished Engineer, IBM.

5 p.m. — Jackson School of Geosciences

5 p.m. — Cockrell School of Engineering. Speaker: Sharon Wood, Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. Livestream: https://www.engr.utexas.edu/events/commencement

5 p.m. — College of Liberal Arts (Plan II)

8:30 p.m. — Pre-show for University-Wide Ceremony begins

9 p.m. — Virtual University-Wide Ceremony