Drake University will hold a virtual commencement ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of 1,071 students who are eligible to receive their undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees.

The virtual commencement website can be viewed any time beginning Saturday, May 16. Content on the website will include the conferring of degrees; remarks from University administrators and deans, including Chair of the Drake University Board of Trustees Peggy Fisher, FA’70, and Drake University President Marty Martin; a message from alumnus Steve Berry, LA ’83, LW ’86; student submitted images; and video content specific to each academic discipline.  

The virtual commencement will be accessible online through December. This semester’s graduating students are also invited to walk in the December 2020 commencement exercises.

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 “we are all in this together” spirit.

More information on the virtual commencement experience is available at https://www.drake.edu/commencement/. Faculty, staff, and classmates are encouraged to post congratulatory messages to graduates on social media using the hashtag #DearDrake2020.