May 24, 2021 Virtual Commencement Experience: Celebrate the Class of 2021! Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, The Virtual Commencement Experience celebrating the Class of 2021 is quickly approaching! I look forward to all of us gathering online this Thursday, May 27, at 10 am to recognize the accomplishments, flexibility, and endurance of our graduates! Commencement is always a milestone for our graduates, but during their last three semesters as Bearcats, the Class of 2021 endured changes and challenges that were previously unimaginable. This is their moment to shine! Please bookmark our Virtual Commencement Experience website and visit regularly for up-to-date information. Right now, that page includes a range of videos, such as congratulatory messages and brief reels that look back on the 2020–21 school year. On Thursday, May 27, at 10 am, the Virtual Commencement Experience will go live! It will begin with a welcome from Interim Provost Myung-Soo Lee; a special performance by the Blue Notes; and an address by Alyssa Fuchs, who has been selected as valedictorian of the Class of 2021. President S. David Wu will also congratulate the class, and New York State Assembly Member Karines Reyes will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Raj Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University and Director of Opportunity Insights, will be awarded an honorary degree for his exemplary accomplishments in the field of economics. The conferral of digital diplomas, conducted by the deans of each of our three schools, will follow a synchronous run of the video. Following the video, links to special websites will go live for the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the Zicklin School of Business. Each site will include video remarks from the school’s dean as well as clips from faculty and staff. Every student will also receive a digital diploma, and graduates who provided pronunciation for their names will be announced individually. This past year and a half has been like no other in the history of Baruch College and the world. Yet we have rallied as a community and overcome so many obstacles. With vaccine access expanding across the city, state, and nation, it’s beginning to feel like we are approaching the end of this horrible pandemic. In so doing, let us finish this academic year with joy and renewed hope as we celebrate the Class of 2021—all they have accomplished and the world of possibilities they have yet to achieve. Sincerely, Art King Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students |