TCU
Spring 2019 commencement: graduating students
TCU will host its first in-person graduation ceremony since the start of the pandemic, on Friday. The last in-person commencement took place in fall 2019.
TCU's Class of 2020 didn't get to experience a traditional graduation ceremony last year. As the COVID-19 pandemic reached its height, virtual ceremonies and parties took the place of crossing the stage and receiving a diploma to the sounds of cheers from family and friends.
That changes this year.
TCU's commencement ceremonies will take place in-person this weekend, honoring both the classes of 2020 and 2021 outdoors at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The last time commencement took place at the Carter was in 2014, and the last in-person ceremony took place in fall 2019.
The Class of 2020 will be honored Friday, with the Class of 2021 ceremonies taking place in the morning and afternoon on Saturday.
According to TCU, more than 900 of 2,000 graduates from 2020 will return to campus for the in-person ceremony and will receive a special 2020 commemorative medallion from the chancellor when they cross the stage. TCU is also allowing any member of the class of 2020 to walk at any future commencement ceremony if they are unable to attend Friday.
For the class of 2021, graduates will wear the TCU Unity Cord, thanks to collaboration by TCU’s Student Government Association, Graduate Student Senate, and the Race & Reconciliation Initiative. The red in the cord is meant to symbolize graduates' humanity, while the purple represents the students' contribution to TCU's legacy.
Additionally, an honorary degree will be presented to J. Luther King — president, CEO, and managing principal of Luther King Capital Management. King earned a Bachelor of Science Commerce in 1962 and an MBA in 1966, both from TCU, and has served as a TCU trustee and chair of the Board of Trustees. According to TCU, King was "an ultimate role model for ethical leadership and responsible citizenship," crediting him for his work in the dedication of four new residence halls, a refurbished Frog Fountain, and the Brown-Lupton University Union. He will receive the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, during the morning ceremony on Saturday.
During this weekend's ceremonies, COVID-19 protocols like masks and social distancing will be required, along with the clear bag policy typically enforced at the stadium. Graduates and candidates for graduation will sit for one final time in the student section on the east side of the stadium, and a live feed to the Jumbotron video board in the north end zone and a smaller one in the south end zone will capture each graduate as they walk across the stage.
More information about commencement ceremonies can be found on TCU's commencement website. All ceremonies will be livestreamed on YouTube.
