Class of 2020 Returning for a Commencement on the Green

The Class of 2020 in their first gathering in September 2016. (Photo by Eli Burakian '00)

The ceremony takes place more than two years after the class marked its graduation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a virtual degree ceremony that streamed across the country and around the world.

"Two years ago Dartmouth promised the Class of 2020 that when we were able, we would welcome them home to Dartmouth," says Vice President for Alumni Relations Cheryl Bascomb '82. "I am delighted that we are able to make good on that promise this summer. They have been wonderful to work with, and we are all committed to making this a wonderful, memorable occasion for the class and their families."

On Aug. 5, members of the Class of 2020 and their families and friends are invited to a welcome reception and a candlelight ceremony. Other activities are planned for Aug. 6 after the ceremony. A committee of class members worked with Alumni Relations to plan the weekend.

On Saturday, the morning ceremony on the Green will feature the traditional elements of a Dartmouth commencement, complete with regalia, bagpipes, a procession, remarks from President Philip J. Hanlon '77 and others, music, and the announcement of the graduates' names as they walk across the stage.

More than 600 undergraduates — just over 50% of the class — and a handful of graduate and professional school students have made plans to return for the celebration. A gift from an anonymous donor is underwriting housing fees for the returning graduates throughout the weekend. 

Tickets are not required for family and friends, but organizers request that all guests be registered in advance. A schedule of events and information on how to register is available on the Class of 2020 commencement website.

Geeta Anand '89, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author and dean of the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, will deliver the keynote address.

[See Thayer celebration info]