Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
On Saturday, May 8, we will recognize 1,075 graduates as part of our spring commencement ceremonies. I am pleased that we were able to put the necessary precautions in place to offer several in-person ceremonies for our graduates, and grateful to the UW-Stout team, led by Britta Miller, that has worked tirelessly on planning. After more than a year of many challenges due to COVID-19, this is a very positive step forward for our university.
Our graduates have much to celebrate this Saturday, and I hope that everyone will take time to congratulate them and tune in to one (or all) of the virtual and livestreamed ceremonies to share your support.
The last month or so, as we have phased back award and recognition ceremonies, has served as a reminder of the incredible hard work and dedication of our students, as well as that of the faculty and staff who have supported them throughout their UW-Stout journey. I witnessed this during the Scholar-Athlete Celebration when faculty mentors were present to support the scholar-athletes being recognized. I also observed it during the Bestow the Stole event hosted by the Honors College when faculty and staff mentors, selected by the students, spoke about the achievements of our graduates.
We see the innovation and achievements of our graduates on display in capstone projects presented virtually and in various installations and exhibits throughout our university buildings. Faculty and staff have reached out to me numerous times during the last few weeks in order to invite me to student presentations and to inform me about opportunities to observe student work.
Indeed, we have much to celebrate this week as a university community, and much to look forward to in the coming year.
Again, I encourage the entire UW-Stout community, friends, and family to join in the celebration by watching the virtual and livestreamed ceremonies, and by showing support of our graduates on social media by using #StoutGrad2021. The link for the virtual and livestreamed ceremonies will be posted prior to the start times on the commencement website.
Livestreamed Ceremonies:
9 a.m. College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management
11 a.m. College of Education, Hospitality, Health and Human Sciences
1 p.m. College of Arts, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences
3 p.m. The Graduate School - All Graduate Programs
Virtual Ceremony:
A virtual ceremony will be held for all graduates who did not RSVP to a small ceremony. This ceremony will premiere at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel and the commencement website.
My sincere congratulations to our graduates, and my deepest thanks to the entire UW-Stout community for your support of our students.
In Stout Pride,
