Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 - webcast

Welcome to the Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of these two recent alumni classes. Scroll down for the full virtual celebration experience and get to know our graduates.

Watch the Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 above or on one of our other webcasts. The ceremony is best viewed on a desktop, laptop, or tablet. Closed captions are available on all webcast platforms.

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For a PDF of the Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 program above, download it here.

DISCOVER COMMENCEMENT

2020 Commencement Stories
2021 Commencement Stories
Virtual Graduation Kit
Commencement History & Regalia

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2020 AND 2021 AWARD RECIPIENTS

2020 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching

  • Raymond D. Horton
    Frank R. Lautenberg Professor of Ethics and Corporate Governance
    Management Division
    Columbia Business School
  • Jean E. Howard
    George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
  • Bert Huang
    Michael I. Sovern Professor of Law
    Columbia Law School
  • Stacy Kinirons
    Assistant Professor of Programs in Physical Therapy
    Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine
    Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Paola Maria Valenti
    Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of International and Public Affairs
    School of International and Public Affairs
  • Michael Naft
    Department of Psychology
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Diana Rose Newby
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Graduate School of Arts and Science
  • Ashley Simone (1988-2021)
    Department of Classics
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

2021 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching

  • Denise Cruz
    Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Jeremy Dodd
    Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Physics
    Department of Physics
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Jasmine A. McDonald
    Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
    Department of Epidemiology
    Mailman School of Public Health
  • Timothy Mitchell
    William B. Ransford Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies
    Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
     
  • Katherine E. Reuther
    Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Daniella Cádiz Bedini
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Miguel Ángel Garrido
    Department of Statistics
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Christopher Medina-Kirchner
    Department of Psychology
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Marianne Hirsch
    William Peterfield Trent Professor of English
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Ellie Hisama
    Professor of Music, Music Theory and Historical Musicology
    Department of Music
  • Darcy Kelley
    Harold Weintraub Professor of Biological Sciences
    Department of Biological Sciences
  • Gillian Metzger
    Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law
    Codirector, Center for Constitutional Governance
    Columbia Law School
  • Mae Ngai
    Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and
    Professor of History
    Codirector, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race
  • Rachel Adams
    Professor of English and Comparative Literature
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Nabila El-Bassel
    University Professor and Willma and Albert Musher Professor of Social Work
    School of Social Work
  • Virginia Page Fortna
    Harold Brown Professor of U.S. Foreign and Security Policy
    Department of Political Science
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Marcel Agüeros
    Associate Professor of Astronomy
    Department of Astronomy
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Casey N. Blake
    Mendelson Family Professor of American Studies
    Director of Center for American Studies
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Geraldine Downey
    Niven Professor of Humane Letters
    Department of Psychology
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Cristiane Duarte
    Ruane Professor for the Implementation of Child Mental Health for Child & Adolescent Mental
    Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    Department of Psychiatry
    Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Jean E. Howard
    George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities
    Department of English and Comparative Literature
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Jamal Joseph
    Professor of Professional Practice
    Department of Film
    School of the Arts

School Ceremonies

Individual schools are working to provide opportunities for their graduates to gather with each other during this time. Please reach out to your school contact, listed below, for more details.

School Contact:
Esther Turay
[email protected]
(212) 854-9543

School Contact:
SOA Student Affairs
[email protected]
(212) 851-0248

School Contact:
Office of Alumnae Relations
[email protected]
[email protected]

School Contact:
Dean's Office
[email protected]
(212) 854-0225

Executive MBA School Contact:
Brandon Kelly
[email protected]

MBA School Contact:
Laura Tierney
[email protected]

MS School Contact:
Elizabeth Elam
[email protected]

PhD School Contact:
Elizabeth Elam
[email protected]

School Contact:
Cynthia Thomson
[email protected]

Date: Thursday, May 19, 2022
Time: 4:00-6:30 p.m.
Location: Southfield, Morningside Campus

Celebration Website

School Contact:
Columbia College Events
[email protected]

School Contact:
Melissa Welsh
Alumni & CE Director
Columbia College of Dental Medicine
[email protected]
(212) 305-6881

Date: Thursday, May 19, 2022
Time: 12:30-3:00 p.m.
Location: Southfield, Morningside Campus

School Contact:
Columbia Engineering Events
[email protected]

School Contact:
GS Student Life
[email protected] 
(212) 854-9536

School Contact:
Erin Hussein
[email protected]
(212) 854-6728

School Contact:
Susan Storms
Director, Alumni Affairs
[email protected]
(212) 854-8598

School Contact:
Melanie Huff
[email protected]
(917) 834-2571

Julie Pozo-Cepeda 
[email protected]

Information on the Law School Celebration

School Contact:
Denise Dilley
[email protected]
212-854-7562

School Contact: 
Columbia Mailman Office of Development and Alumni Relations
[email protected]

School Contact:
Sharon Sobel
Assistant Director, Alumni Relations
[email protected]
(212) 305-5999

School Contact Email: 
Office of Alumni Relations
[email protected]

School Contact: 
Ana Angeles
[email protected]

Date: Sunday, May 22
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Louis Armstrong Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Speaker: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

School Graduation Website

School Contact: 
Convocation Help Desk
[email protected] 
(212) 678-4039

Physicians and Surgeons School Contact:
Andrea Patterson
[email protected]

Institute of Human Nutrition School Contact:
Sarah Bergren
[email protected] 
(212) 342-3804

Programs in Ocupational Therapy School Contact: 
Jessica Bussey
[email protected]

Programs in Physical Therapy School Contact:
Kimberly Whittam-Dougherty
[email protected]

Program in Genetic Counseling School Contact: 
Amanda Bergner, MS, CGC
[email protected]
(212) 304-6500

FAQs

Be prepared to enter campus with these items before the candidate lineup starts on upper campus at 8:00 a.m. for the Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021. Make sure to inform your guests about what they should bring with them on Commencement day.

  • Cap 
  • Ticket
  • Proof of Vaccination, or Negative COVID-19 Test (time-stamped photo of an at-home antigen test on the day of each event or email results of a PCR test within 48 hours of the first attended event) 
  • Mask
  • Water Bottle
  • Prepare for inclement weather
  • Feeling sick? Stay home and tune in virtually.

2020 and 2021 graduates may attend these celebrations and activities. Each graduate is allowed to bring 2 (two) guests.

Registration is required to participate in these make-up activities and will open in April. Be on the lookout for a communication from your school with more details and update your information in the Columbia Alumni Association directory to stay informed.

Full regalia is optional for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 but caps will be required. Regalia is available from the Columbia University Bookstore or online. 

  • Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees: Orders can be placed in-store starting March 8. Online orders may be placed beginning March 14 and ending April 27 to be directly shipped to the student by visiting columbia20202021.shopoakhalli.com.
     
  • Doctoral Degrees: Head wear may be reserved in store from March 8 through April 11th without incurring a late fee. In-store pickup and ship-to-home options are available. Online orders may be placed beginning March 14 and ending April 27 by visiting columbia20202021.shopoakhalli.com. Head wear and accessories ordered will be shipped directly to your home. 

Please reach out to your individual school to receive any documentation related to obtaining visas.

We welcome alumni to volunteer as Event Hosts for ceremonies held on the Morningside Campus. Event Hosts provide welcoming support and guidance to graduates and their guests attending events on campus from Friday, March 13, through Wednesday, May 18.

For more information, please email [email protected]

Those requiring accommodations during the Classes of 2020 and 2021 Celebration and corresponding events, including alumni and guests whose disabilities limit their ability to walk or negotiate stairs, should contact Disability Services at [email protected] by Wednesday, May 4. To learn more visit Disability Services. 

Below is the timeline for this event.

7:30 a.m. Gates open for General Admission Outdoor seating: Line forms on Broadway at 115th Street to access General Admission gates Disability access: For individuals with disabilities or limited mobility, and those needing assistance, line forms at 115th and 116th Streets and Amsterdam Avenue
8:00 a.m. Graduate lineup begins
8:30 a.m. Graduate procession begins
9:00 a.m. Celebration for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 begins