York University’s newest graduates will be recognized during a virtual Graduation Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
The event, which will take place online with specific times for each faculty, has been created in place of traditional convocation ceremonies due to the ongoing public health concerns resulting from COVID-19. When it is safe to do so, graduates from the Class of 2021 will be honoured at an in-person convocation.
Planning has been focused on incorporating as many elements of the traditional convocation as is possible in a virtual event. Included in the Graduation Celebration will be the Honour Song and the national anthem, along with recorded remarks from York University Chancellor Gregory Sobora, President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton and Faculty deans. During the virtual event, graduands will experience the ceremonial conferral of degrees. Their names will be read along with a personal graduation slide that lists their name, degree, program, and any academic honours. These videos will be played via livestream on YouTube Premieres, and the full schedule is available on the Convocation website.
Graduands were offered the opportunity to pick up their Convocation packages (which included a special Graduation Celebration box) on campus during Grad Days, which took place during the Fall Reading Week in October. In addition to picking up their package including their diploma, graduands were also able to take photos with two guests against a special Convocation backdrop. Graduands who were unable to attend Grad Days, will receive their special Graduation Celebration box by courier. Each personalized Graduation Celebration box was packed with care by York University staff and contains the student’s diploma, cap and tassel, a convocation program and some other special items to help them celebrate.
York University is also offering a suite of digital assets, including Zoom backgrounds, GIF stickers and Augmented Reality filters. Graduates can also listen to or submit songs for the York University Class of 2021 Spotify playlist. All of the digital assets can be found on the main Convocation website.