Dear GSAS Students,
By now, you will have received President Bacow’s message to the Harvard community regarding the postponement of an in-person Commencement this year. I know this will be disappointing news for students who intend to graduate this year and for the communities that support them; all of us at GSAS are taking this equally hard. Commencement is the highlight of the year, when we celebrate your remarkable accomplishments as students and see you transition to alumni.
While the physical ceremony itself is postponed, GSAS is planning a virtual degree-granting ceremony to follow the University’s online celebration. We know how important it is to mark this milestone, and we are thinking about how we can make a virtual program feel special and celebratory. GSAS will be in touch with details as they are finalized. You can also visit GSAS’s Commencement website for updated information.
It is indeed extraordinary to postpone Commencement in this way, but we are living through an extraordinary time. Rest assured, GSAS will do all it can to mark your achievements and recognize your hard work.
With all best wishes,
Emma Dench
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics
