Dear Computer & Data Science Online Students:
I am writing to address confusion surrounding the University’s upcoming convocation ceremonies for Computer & Data Science Online graduate students on Saturday, May 11. Numerous students have reached out to the Graduate School regarding the ceremonies, and I wanted to address the concerns raised. I want to emphasize that you—as a graduating UT master’s student—are a valued part of this campus community, and that all of us in the Graduate School and at the University are looking forward to celebrating you during commencement.
Graduating students—both residential and online—are recognized and honored in a variety of ceremonies held at the program, college and University levels. The University-wide commencement ceremony is the formal ceremony at the university, where degrees are officially conferred to all graduating students, including graduate students. I encourage you and your friends and family to attend this culminating event, along with the CDSO ceremony. The University-wide ceremony takes place Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The CDSO ceremony, planned in collaboration with the College of Natural Sciences, is one of several ways in which the University will be honoring graduate students during commencement weekend. This ceremony, new this year, is one of several recent changes brought about by growth in our graduate programs and limited space on campus for holding large graduation ceremonies. The Graduate School is no longer able to accommodate all master’s graduates and their guests in a single ceremony, and many colleges and schools across campus now recognize graduate students, including residential students, at individual ceremonies held throughout the weekend. Please know that each of these events are official University ceremonies endorsed by the Graduate School that seek to honor graduates’ tremendous accomplishments and meaningfully include their friends and family.
This year, University communications to CDSO students included incomplete and inaccurate information regarding graduation ceremonies, and the addition of the new ceremony should have been shared earlier. I apologize for any ways that this has distracted from a day that is meant to celebrate and honor you. Please know that in no way does it reflect on the first-class education you received, our institution’s esteem for your academic accomplishments or the important place you hold in our community. Leading up to the ceremony, I have been in close contact with CDSO leaders and department chairs, and I know that the ceremony they have in store for you will have all the prestige and experience befitting a UT graduation. The meaningful recognition of your accomplishments remains our focus.
Again, I hope you will join us at both the CDSO and University-wide ceremonies to celebrate, and I look forward to hearing about your achievements in the future.
Sincerely,
