Emory University will host its 176th Commencement exercises with modified in-person ceremonies for the Class of 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta on May 14, 15 and 16, according to a press release.
A total of 14 commencements, representing all nine of Emory’s undergraduate and graduate schools are scheduled during the three-day weekend. A ceremony to celebrate the Class of 2020, whose Commencement ceremony was completely virtual last year, will be held on May 15.
Although there will not be one central ceremony for graduates of all schools, each school will have a stand-alone Emory University Commencement ceremony. The dean of each school will present the candidates, and President Gregory L. Fenves will be at each ceremony to confer degrees. Many elements of a traditional Emory Commencement also will be incorporated, such as the bagpipes, wearing of academic regalia, individual recognition of graduates and the singing of the alma mater.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, will provide the Emory College of Arts and Sciences Commencement keynote address.
Fauci will speak virtually, but in real time at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 16. His address will be available to all Emory graduates and the university community via livestream on the Commencement website (https://www.emory.edu/commencement/). Each of the ceremonies also will be livestreamed for those who do not attend in person.
Class Day, a student-organized event for those receiving undergraduate degrees, is scheduled in an online ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13, and will feature keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
All graduates are able to attend in-person or virtually. For those attending the ceremonies at the GWCC, chairs will be separated by six feet, guests will be required to wear face coverings, and enhanced sanitation protocols will be in effect. Start times will also be staggered, and guests will follow one-way indicators to assist in following physical distance guidelines. Obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine is encouraged, but not required.
Depending on the ceremony, graduates were able to register for a limited number of guest tickets (two to six). Even if the maximum number of graduates and guests attend a ceremony, they will only represent a fraction of the room’s capacity — leaving more than enough space to comply with physical distancing guidelines.
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