VCU news

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University will recognize approximately 5,200 new graduates with a universitywide virtual commencement on Saturday that is being accompanied this week by an assortment of in-person and virtual graduation ceremonies at the department, school and college levels.

The universitywide commencement broadcast, which will stream at commencement.vcu.edu, will start at 9 a.m. with a Zoom pre-party featuring footage of the newest graduates and student-submitted graduation photos. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.

Traditional ceremony elements celebrating the occasion will include speeches and music. Brandee Branche, who is receiving her M.D. from the School of Medicine, will serve as the student speaker representing spring graduates. The virtual commencement site also will have a PDF of the commencement program, a scrolling list of graduate names by school and college, and a video with well wishes from parents and friends.

In addition, a variety of in-person and virtual ceremonies that celebrate new graduates are being held this week at the academic unit level. Some ceremonies are being livestreamed for those graduates and families unable to attend. More information about unit-level events can be found at commencement.vcu.edu/departmental-ceremony/. All in-person events will adhere to public health guidance issued by Virginia for indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Virtual commencement swag can be downloaded at commencement.vcu.edu/virtual-commencement-swag/. When sharing on social media, use #VCU2021 to join the VCU community celebration.

For more details about commencement, visit commencement.vcu.edu.