As you read in Fr. Poorman’s recent message, the University looks forward to an in-person celebration of the Class of 2020 at a future date. We also plan to proceed with virtual commencement exercises on May 3. While we recognize that none of this is ideal and so much of this is out of your control, we hope your family comes together on May 3 to celebrate your graduate in whatever way is most meaningful to you all. Our Class of 2020 deserves the world, and you deserve to celebrate too because you helped them to the finish line!
The Basics
- When: Virtual Commencement will take place on May 3.
- Where: More information about how to watch the ceremonies online will be available soon.
- What: The virtual ceremony will include a special invocation, the conferring of degrees, a blessing by University President Fr. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., and other celebratory UP traditions.
- Commencement Boxes
- Many helping (and socially distant) hands are putting together a Class of 2020 Commencement Box for your student that will be sent to the address they provided in their Career Center survey. We hope this allows your graduation celebration to be filled with UP pride and brings a little piece of The Bluff to you and your loved ones. If you have concerns about the safety of handling the box, please review these Frequently Asked Questions. The undergraduate box will include:
- Cap with tassel
- Gown
- Commencement Programs
- Diploma Cover
- A few surprises from your UP family
- Each College/School may also include specific items too. For example:
- School of Nursing Pin, Nurses’ Pinning Program, etc.
- Honor Society Cords
- Many helping (and socially distant) hands are putting together a Class of 2020 Commencement Box for your student that will be sent to the address they provided in their Career Center survey. We hope this allows your graduation celebration to be filled with UP pride and brings a little piece of The Bluff to you and your loved ones. If you have concerns about the safety of handling the box, please review these Frequently Asked Questions. The undergraduate box will include:
Making Lemonade out of Lemons
We may be staying home and practicing safe social distancing, but here are some ideas for how to make virtual Commencement special for your family!
- Gather a small group of family or friends together for an “at-home” celebration. We ask that you honor small group and social distancing stipulations for your city or state.
- If a gathering is not possible, plan a parade for your graduate! Invite family and friends to drive by your house at a designated time, holding signs and cheering for your student.
- Use online video chat platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or FaceTime to include remote attendees in the fun! You can even use UP’s campus photos as your Zoom digital background.
- Host a “ceremony” in your living room, on the front porch, in a courtyard of your housing complex, on the sidewalk in front of your apartment, in your backyard, or wherever you have space! If you host it in your front yard or a more communal space, you may even get neighbors joining in the fun and cheering your student on from a healthy distance!
- Watch the ceremonies online. A laptop or phone works, but if you have the technology and equipment to do so, you can cast the video to a TV screen or project it on a larger wall to “enhance” the experience.
- They may feel silly doing so but encourage your student to wear their cap and gown, which will be sent to them ahead of time in their Commencement Box, and then have a graduation photo shoot. They will appreciate having nice pictures to commemorate this milestone.
- Speaking of caps, encourage your student to decorate their graduation cap. They can get inspiration from Pinterest, bounce around ideas with the family, or check out creative ideas from previous graduates. It can serve as a nice memento AND a fun arts and crafts project to do at home.
- Pick different members of the family to be the emcee or “guest speaker” for your ceremony. As a surprise for your graduate, you could share your top 20 memories or proudest moments of your 2020 graduate, whether it spans their life or their time at UP.
- You can also encourage your student to come up with and share their “Top 20 of ’20.” They can share their top 20 memories from college with their family. It could be a simple list they read aloud, or they can get creative with photos or a slideshow, but either way, it can be a nice way to reflect and celebrate with their loved ones, focusing on the positives!
- Have fun with DIY decorating or baking – or support local bakeries, restaurants, and party supply shops if they are open and it is safe to do so.
- We encourage families to still send graduation announcements, even if via email, to share the excitement of your student’s accomplishments with families and friends.
- From video tributes to scavenger hunts, CollegiateParent also compiled some great alternative ways to celebrate!
- Listen to UP’s Senior Playlist on Spotify. It will debut on April 23.
- Encourage your student to take a video of their “diploma dance” and send it to upsocial@up.edu.
- Share your excitement on social media!
- Encourage your student to get creative and show us what their “last day of school” looks like and use the hashtag #LastDayUP or send the photo to upsocial@up.edu.
- Add a special “Proud to be a Pilot Parent” frame to your Facebook profile picture.
- Use a GIF on your Instagram Story. Search “University of Portland” for our Pilot Parent, #UP20, grad cap, and other UP GIFs.
- Follow @Uportland on Instagram for other social media tips and ideas!
- Use the cap and gown filter.
- Post decorated grad cap photos.
- Use hashtag #UP20.