This has been an academic year unlike any other. We have overcome unfamiliar challenges, and we have experienced loss and grief. Yet through it all, you have found new ways to learn, study, and create. You have affirmed Yale’s mission—showing us, with optimism and urgency, that we must fulfill our responsibilities to one another and to the world. I am grateful for your resilience, creativity, and selflessness, and I congratulate you on approaching the completion of your degree requirements.
Today I write to share with you that we will be recognizing your accomplishments and graduation through in-person gatherings on or around May 24, if public health conditions permit. Our celebrations will include graduating students who are studying on campus or remotely this year; however, we regret that we will not be able to invite guests to campus.
Our public health experts believe it is unlikely that everyone will be protected from COVID-19 by commencement day; it takes time for inoculations to be completed and take full effect. We also must be vigilant about emerging strains of the virus that are highly infectious. Our priority will always be the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and those in our surrounding communities.
Know that everyone across the campus is proud of you, and we look forward to recognizing your achievements. Deans of the various schools and other university leaders will provide additional details in the coming days. University Secretary and Vice President for University Life Kimberly Goff-Crews is working closely with them, student groups, and many others to identify ways in which your families can share in celebratory events remotely. We will continue to monitor public health conditions and adjust our plans accordingly, and we will keep you informed. Please check the commencement website for updates.
As has been true for the past year, we will find strength in our purpose and in one another. We will work together to celebrate safely all you have accomplished during your studies at Yale.
With best wishes for your health and well-being,
Peter Salovey
President
Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology
Commencement 2021
To the Students Graduating in 2021,
This has been an academic year unlike any other. We have overcome unfamiliar challenges, and we have experienced loss and grief. Yet through it all, you have found new ways to learn, study, and create. You have affirmed Yale’s mission—showing us, with optimism and urgency, that we must fulfill our responsibilities to one another and to the world. I am grateful for your resilience, creativity, and selflessness, and I congratulate you on approaching the completion of your degree requirements.
Today I write to share with you that we will be recognizing your accomplishments and graduation through in-person gatherings on or around May 24, if public health conditions permit. Our celebrations will include graduating students who are studying on campus or remotely this year; however, we regret that we will not be able to invite guests to campus.
Our public health experts believe it is unlikely that everyone will be protected from COVID-19 by commencement day; it takes time for inoculations to be completed and take full effect. We also must be vigilant about emerging strains of the virus that are highly infectious. Our priority will always be the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and those in our surrounding communities.
Know that everyone across the campus is proud of you, and we look forward to recognizing your achievements. Deans of the various schools and other university leaders will provide additional details in the coming days. University Secretary and Vice President for University Life Kimberly Goff-Crews is working closely with them, student groups, and many others to identify ways in which your families can share in celebratory events remotely. We will continue to monitor public health conditions and adjust our plans accordingly, and we will keep you informed. Please check the commencement website for updates.
As has been true for the past year, we will find strength in our purpose and in one another. We will work together to celebrate safely all you have accomplished during your studies at Yale.
With best wishes for your health and well-being,
Peter Salovey
President
Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology