Dear campus community,

I am delighted to announce today that after thoughtful, in-depth discussions with students and other critical stakeholders, San José State University plans on hosting in-person commencement ceremonies this December for the first time in nearly two years. These ceremonies will celebrate both our fall graduates as well as those graduates from our 2020 and spring 2021 classes.

We arrived at these plans after close consultation with our students and the University’s policy group, and we are confident that our commencement ceremonies will consist of features and elements that our upcoming and most recent graduates find most important.

While specific details will be forthcoming in the days and weeks ahead, the general commencement schedule this fall will be as follows:

• Ceremonies for the Class of 2020 and Spring 2021 graduates, organized by class year, will be held at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, and Friday, December 17, 2021.

• Traditional Fall 2021 commencement ceremonies will take place at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 and Thursday, December 16, 2021. These ceremonies will be organized by college.

All participating students will be required to pre-register for a ceremony in order to attend and will receive six (6) guest tickets, though the ticket allowance is subject to change based on CDC, state and county guidelines.

In addition, in order to help ensure the safety of all participants, all ceremonies will be held in accordance with state, county and city requirements for indoor gatherings. As guidance evolves throughout the fall, circumstances may change. At this time, graduates and their guests should be prepared to wear a mask while indoors and provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test result within 72-hours of their ceremony (limited religious and medical exceptions may apply). Please continue to monitor messages on our Health Advisories website for new information and guidance.

We are very proud of our recent alumni, who completed their degrees in the midst of a global pandemic and circumstances out of their control. I am happy that their perseverance, flexibility and resilience can now be celebrated in person, and that our Fall 2021 Class can anticipate an in-person commencement ceremony as well.

More details on our upcoming commencement ceremonies, as well as information on related events such as Virtual Grad Fest, will be coming soon from the commencement office, so be sure to check its website regularly. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in eager anticipation of our fall, in-person commencement gatherings!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary A. Papazian

President