CALIFORNIA—Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020 at California State University (CSU) campuses will either be postponed, but in-person, or soon, but virtual -and some will be held both ways.
Each CSU campus is running its commencement ceremony individually to make the celebration “uniquely suited for its community,” according to a May 1 announcement on the university’s general website. Some campuses have already hosted their ceremonies, while others have not publicly published any details on potential celebrations. Updates on some of the campuses’ commencements are featured below.
CSU Dominguez Hills had a “Grad Celebration Week” on YouTube and Instagram from May 11-15. Various activities, speeches, challenges, and other events were held throughout the week. An in-person celebration will still be held in late 2020 or in 2021.
Fresno State hosted a similar “Grad Week” event from May 11-16. A different challenge was posted each day, and graduates used the hashtag #FresnoStateGrad on social media to share their responses.
Instead of hosting a live virtual commencement, Chico State launched two websites at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, celebrating the graduates. One site is for undergraduate students, and the other is for master’s students – each will remain active for one year. However, there will also be a traditional ceremony specifically for 2020 graduates in May 2021.
Humboldt State will host its commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 16. Graduates of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences will have theirs at 10:00 a.m., those of the College of Natural Resources & Sciences at 1:00 p.m., and graduates of the College of Professional Studies at 4:00 p.m. Video links for each celebration will be released on the website an hour before it starts, and the announcement notes that Humboldt State hopes to “have an in-person ceremony in the future.”
CSU Monterey Bay has postponed its 2020 commencement “due to CDC requirements,” but will still release a celebratory video at 12:00 p.m. on May 16. The announcement claims that “planning for an in-person ceremony will begin as soon as the county and state announce when large gatherings will be permitted.”
San Diego State will also host a celebration at noon on May 16 in the form of a virtual livestream. It can be accessed via the campus’s commencement webpage, homepage, and Facebook page.
Cal Maritime will have a virtual celebration on Saturday, May 30, at 1:00 p.m. There will be video messages from the Academy’s President, Class of 2020 representatives, alumni, and others. The institution hopes that “an in-person celebration will be feasible.”
Sacramento State is hosting a virtual graduation celebration as well, at 10:00 a.m. on June 6. Pre-recorded speeches and personalized slides of each graduate will be available on the commencement webpage.
San Francisco State will live-stream a ‘Virtual Commencement Celebration’ on its website at 5:30 p.m. on June 18. The announcement mentions that “graduates also have the option to participate in the postponed in-person ceremony, which will be planned and announced once event restrictions allow.”
Several CSU campuses, including Bakersfield, Eastbay, Northridge, and San Marcos, have not published definite details on how each will host commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020.
View the general announcement by CSU to check the commencement ceremony status for each campus.
