UC Merced giving graduates commencement options, but traditional ceremony still on hold

For the second year, UC Merced won’t be having a typical in-person commencement ceremony — although graduates will have a few more options.

Despite the relative downtown in COVID infections statewide and increasing vaccinations, university officials said this week its commencement will be again virtual, scheduled for 10 a.m. May 15.

The virtual ceremony will air on UC Merced’s commencement page.

However, what’s different this year is graduates can also pre-register for an in-person “walk up.”

At the walk ups, graduates will get the opportunity to have professional photos taken at different campus locations. No guests are permitted at the stage crossing event.

Graduates will not receive their degrees at the walk ups. Merced College, unlike UC Merced, will have an in-person ceremony.

The walk-ups will be filmed, and that footage will be displayed in the virtual ceremony on May 15. Graduates are given the option to come in their regalia or in professional business attire.

The walk ups are scheduled to take place April 22-24, a few weeks before spring semester ends.

Danielle Armedilla, UC Merced’s chief of staff of external relations, said the idea for the walk ups was a collective effort between staff.

Other campuses in the UC system are holding similar events.

“We were looking for other creative ways, social distancing, of course to allow the graduates to have an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments,” Armedilla said.

“That’s a unique experience that our graduates didn’t get last year,” she added. “Throughout the days we hope to capture a lot of the great moments, to give them another opportunity to highlight their accomplishments.”

A total of 1,509 total students, including undergraduates and graduate students, are expected to get their degrees — relatively the same in size compared to last year’s graduating class.

There will be 1,430 students graduating with a bachelor’s degree — 296 students from the School of Engineering, 337 from the School of Natural Sciences, and 797 from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

A total of 24 students will graduate with master’s degrees: 15 from the School of Engineering, five from Natural Sciences, and four from the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Department.

Then there will be a total of 55 students graduating with doctorates. Twenty students will graduate from the school of Engineering, 21 from Natural Sciences, and 14 from Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

“As a UC Merced graduate myself, I do understand how much this means to not just to the graduates, but to their supporters. As the pandemic subsides we hope as a campus we can celebrate our graduates the proper way with family and friends,” Armedilla said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 3:02 PM.