Dear University of Portland Community Members,
I write to share important information about the University’s Commencement Exercises scheduled for May 9.
Earlier this semester, the University established a Commencement Exploration Committee to consider the format of this year’s graduation ceremony. The committee’s membership included graduating seniors, as well as faculty and staff. The committee worked diligently to gather student input, consider the graduation plans of other institutions, and discuss how we can best promote the health and safety of our graduates and their families. As a result of these careful deliberations, the committee recommended that the University’s 2021 Commencement Exercises be conducted virtually and that we hold a virtual Baccalaureate Mass. The President’s Leadership Cabinet accepted this recommendation.
I know that this news may come as a disappointment to some. I understand the frustration of graduating students and their families who have navigated so many challenges during their time on The Bluff, especially during the past eleven months, and hoped for an in-person celebration to culminate their UP experience. I share in your regret and sadness. As always, however, UP will prioritize the health and safety of community members and seek to play a responsible role in helping to bring about an end to the pandemic. This decision, as difficult as it may be, advances these priorities. The University will develop plans for an in-person celebration of the Class of 2021 at a later date.
I assure the UP community that we will produce a virtual ceremony that is worthy of our graduates and the remarkable impact that they have had on The Bluff. We invite perspectives from graduating students on how we can make the experience as meaningful as possible, and we welcome community member suggestions at commencement@up.edu.
Despite this change in format, our time-honored tradition of celebrating a class of Commencement honorees will continue. The remarkable individuals profiled below embody virtues that we cherish at UP—faith, hope, generosity, creativity, respect for human dignity, pursuit of knowledge, and passion for justice. It will be our community’s great honor to celebrate their many extraordinary accomplishments at our Commencement Exercises this May.
- Father Greg Boyle, S.J., will serve as Commencement speaker and will receive an honorary degree. Father Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world, as well as the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. In 2014, President Barack Obama named Father Boyle a “Champion of Change,” and he has received the California Peace Prize and Notre Dame Laetare Medal, among numerous other honors.
- Sister Marilyn Lacey, R.S.M., will receive the Christus Magister Medal, the University of Portland’s highest honor. Sister Lacey is the founder and executive director of Mercy Beyond Borders, an organization that provides educational, economic, and empowerment opportunities to women and girls living in extreme poverty. With operations in South Sudan, Haiti, Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi, Mercy Beyond Borders serves over 1,400 people annually. Sister Lacey won the 2017 Opus Prize and, in 2001, she was honored by the Dalai Lama as an “Unsung Hero of Compassion.”
- Carlos Kalmar will receive an honorary degree from the University. For nearly two decades, Mr. Kalmar has served as music director of the Oregon Symphony. He is also artistic director and principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. His international engagements as a conductor and music director have earned him critical acclaim, three Grammy nominations, and numerous other awards.
- Carol Ann Mooney will receive an honorary degree from the University. A legal scholar, renowned professor, and Catholic higher education leader, Professor Mooney served as president of Saint Mary’s College in Indiana from 2004 until her retirement in 2016. She was the first lay alumna of the institution to hold the office.
- Gil Muñoz will receive an honorary degree from the University. Mr. Muñoz is chief executive officer of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, a provider of high quality, culturally appropriate health care to individuals in Washington and Yamhill Counties who experience barriers in accessing medical care.
In their own unique ways, these individuals have answered the call to serve others and bring about a more just and compassionate world. I am delighted that we will have an opportunity to celebrate these remarkable honorees at this year’s Commencement Exercises.
The ceremony is tentatively scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 9. The date and time of the Baccalaureate Mass, as well as other Commencement weekend events (e.g., ROTC Commissioning), will be communicated in the coming weeks.
As always, my prayers and best wishes are with you, your loved ones, and our beloved UP community.
Sincerely,
