KPE graduates will be joining more than 15,000 University of Toronto students today graduating at a convocation ceremony unlike any other in the university’s 193-year history. U of T’s virtual graduation ceremony, at which the president will present the Class of 2020 to the chancellor who then will confer the degrees, will be made available for public viewing as of noon today, June 2, at U of T’s Convocation Hub, where it will be archived for several weeks for those who are unable to view it that day.
More than 15,000 University of Toronto students will graduate today at a convocation ceremony unlike any other in the university’s 193-year history.
The “virtual” proceedings – necessary because of public health rules preventing large gatherings during the pandemic – will be viewed on laptops, smartphones and other devices as graduating students, families and friends tune in from the safety of their homes around the world.
The history-making Class of 2020 consists of 15,508 students hailing from 100 different countries on every continent except Antarctica. Together, they will be granted 75 different types of degrees.
U of T’s virtual event, at which the president will present the Class of 2020 to the chancellor who then will confer the degrees, will be made available for public viewing as of noon on June 2 at U of T’s Convocation Hub, where it will be archived for several weeks for those who are unable to view it that day. Students are encouraged to connect with friends, family and fellow graduates on social media, using the hashtag #UofTGrad20.
Tens of thousands of diplomas and ceremony booklets will be couriered to all corners of the world, so that students will receive them by the end of June. The list of destinations reads like a roll call at the United Nations, running alphabetically from Antigua and Barbuda all the way to Zimbabwe.
In addition to their parchment, each U of T graduate will receive a convocation booklet that lists their name and program, details about the virtual ceremony, messages from university leaders, and is embellished with the U of T crest and its Latin motto, Velut arbor ævo (As a tree through the ages).
The virtual convocation event will incorporate several of the university’s most cherished traditions. President Gertler and Chancellor Patten will preside over the ceremony wearing formal regalia and standing two metres apart. They will be accompanied by Claire Kennedy, chair of U of T’s Governing Council, who will be serving as bedel, the individual who leads the procession carrying U of T’s gold-plated silver mace, a symbol of the university’s history and authority. There will also be a convocation speaker.
This article has been edited for length. Full article available here.