Drake University will hold a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 12, to celebrate the accomplishments of 262 students who are eligible to receive their undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees.
The Virtual Commencement website will serve as the hub for the virtual celebration, which will go live at 10 a.m. CST on Dec. 12. Content on the website will include the conferring of degrees; remarks from University administrators and deans, including alumnus and Drake University Board of Trustee Dan Jacobi, LA’76, LW’86, and Drake University President Marty Martin; and messages from alumna and long-time Drake employee Diane Caldbeck, ED’72, and graduating senior Runal Patel, AS’20.
The virtual commencement will be accessible online through March 2021. In addition, the graduating class of 2020 will be invited to participate in the University’s next in-person commencement exercises when it is safe and feasible to do so.
“I am incredibly proud of our graduates,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “I commend them for their many accomplishments, hard work, and most recently, their resilience and dedication despite a final year of tremendous adversity. More than ever, our graduates deserve to be celebrated. I have no doubt their Drake degrees will propel and serve them for the rest of their lives.”
To commemorate the celebration, all graduates will receive a blue tassel in the mail along with their diploma. Traditionally, graduates’ caps are adorned with a tassel in a color that denotes their academic discipline. The blue tassel is designed to be a symbol of unity and hope, capturing the Class of 2020’s “Drake Together” spirit.
More information on the virtual commencement experience is available at drake.edu/commencement. Drake family and friends are encouraged to post congratulatory messages to graduates on social media using the hashtag #Drake2020.